Siren's Fury
by rika08
Summary: Six years ago, Mercedes had an encounter that scared her for life, but she became stronger because of it. She finally feels at home in Beacon Hills with Bentley, and with Derek. But when a dismembered body has links to her family, Mercedes learns that the past never stays buried. Third in the Siren Saga
1. Chapter 1

Winter was a fascinating time of year, where the trees lay dormant for months on end, preparing for spring. Where animals hid within the walls of their dens, away from the bitter cold and hunters on the search. Where fires were lit, heavy blankets removed form their closet, and countless hours on the couch was a viable excuse. The downside was that Mercedes Walker moved to Beacon Hills to avoid the season. She hated winter with a passion. Don't get her wrong, she enjoyed the holidays that came with winter, but she despised the cold with ever fiber of her being. The ironic part was that the cold season itself slowed her down. While cold water healed her wounds, the cold simply slowed her down in every other form. Apparently Sirens were meant for warmer weather.

Mercedes huffed out a breath and caught sight of the small cloud that escaped her lips. She frowned and reached across the console and turned up the heater in the cab. She hated winter. She was a creature made for the warm weather. Instead, she was in the middle of a freak winter storm wearing her heavy clothes she'd had to drag out of the garage. Her greenish grey jacket was zipped and button upped, encasing her body in the thick lining. Her handmade hat, scarf, leg, and arm warmers all matched in the rich creamy color. They had been a gift from Holly several years ago, and although Mercedes loved her sister-in-law, she hated having to use the set. Her jeans did little to beat back the cold, but the trucks heater was doing better at keeping her warm.

She had been needing to tune the truck for some time, but when the storm hit, it had gotten too cold to work in her garage. For the time being, it was working fine, it was simply the heater that wasn't up to her preferred performance. Mercedes lightly pressed on the brakes, starting the truck deceleration. Her truck began to slow without signs of sliding across any ice. Too many seasons of driving in snow with a trailer had put Mercedes in the mindset of never driving in the snow unless it was dire. Today, unfortunely, had been the day where no one would be able to eat much unless she went shopping. Mercedes had expected the streets to be unpassable, given that it was California, but she found the streets to be fairly cleared. In better conditions than cities her family had visited growing up.

The turnoff came into view and Mercedes turned the steering wheel. The truck eased off the highway road and onto the dirt road. The snowfall had hidden the dips and bumps, making Mercedes that much more cautious when driving. The last thing she needed was to hit a rock with the undercarriage and damage her truck. During the development, the road had been better maintained, but after Wayde's death, the funding dried up and it closed down, leaving Mercedes and Bentley on their own.

Mercedes reached for her phone and dialed the second number on speed dial. She set the phone to speaker and waited through the dial tones. When no one answered, it switched to voicemail. "Hey, it's me. I'm about five minutes from home, so I better see the two of you up front to help me unload the truck." Mercedes said with a smile. "If I don't, I'll have both your hides. See you soon."

The truck slowly bounced along the road. The trees slowly thinned out as she came to the turnoff. The development had cleared away much of the trees, opening her home up, and leaving much flat space for Bentley to play. And with the fresh snow, Bentley was in paradise. Mercedes turned along the road, turning away from the old development, toward her house.

The large cabin looked all the more warm and inviting with its soft white lights glittering around the snow. She could see the lights of their Christmas tree still twinkling in the living room. Taking the tree down had always been the most depressing event as a kid, and since Bentley hadn't seen any reason to take it down yet, the tree remained in its place. The outdoor lights twinkled in the snow, and would probably remain up year round.

Mercedes pulled up into the drive and activated the garages remote. The motor activated and the door slowly opened to the garage. The RV she and Bentley had traveled in, was closed up, and parked along the far wall. Behind it were the remains of her Honda motorcycle. The Echidna had done enough damage to the bike, that Mercedes nearly scraped the whole thing. But she had managed to start piecing it back together. She was still quite a few parts short, but it was coming along. The truck eased its way up into the garage, pulling up along sides Derek's Camaro, which had taken residence in the garage for several months now. Mercedes sets the parking brake and cut the engine. She adjusted her scarf and pulled down her hat. She opened the door and was immediately med with the frigid winter air.

Mercedes closed the door and walked to the open garage door. She peeked out into the yard and found only the white emptiness around her. The yard had become Bentley's playground with the snow, giving him the chance to fully enjoy it without passerby's to ruin his work. The forest sounds seemed to be muffled by the snow around her. Every so often she could hear the sound of snow falling out of the tree and onto the ground. "What happened to my helpers?"

She stood in the open, waiting for any sign of her boys. "No? Okay then."

Suddenly a ball of snow and cold struck her in the back of the neck. Mercedes back arched from the cold. She quickly reached her hand for her neck and brushed the snow from her neck. Somehow the bastard had managed to hit her right between her scarf and coat. It hadn't hurt, but it had been surprising-and damn cold! Mercedes spun around in the direction the snowball and come at her. "Derek!"

Another snowball came at her and hit Mercedes on the hip, only this time, the direction came from behind her. Mercedes turned again, but found nothing. They were ganging up on her. That was completely unfair. They knew she didn't enjoy the cold whether. how dare they try to use that against her.

"So that's how it's going to be then?" Mercedes called. She was met with silence. She brought her fingers to her lips and whistled. The snow muffled what she saw, but she found them nonetheless. They were stationed on opposite ends of the yard, hidden way in the snow. Mercedes dropped her hand and raced inside. She hit the trigger for the garage. The motor kicked on and began closing the garage door.

Mercedes sprinted down the hall for the front door. she ignored her snowy boots and the fact that she was probably leaving snowy footprints on her wooden floor, but she didn't car. She slammed into the door and turned the top lock. If they wanted to pelt her with snowballs, then they could play in the snow for quite some time then. Mercedes looked over her shoulder toward the back entrance. She raced back toward the kitchen, passing the garage. She entered the kitchen and found the sliding door open. She could get angry at them for leaving it open when they were done. She rushed across the kitchen and took hold of the door.

Suddenly a small force slammed into her middle and knocked Mercedes on her back. Mercedes found herself gasping for breath while she stared up at the ceiling. She coughed and looked down at her chest. A bulky bundled boy clung to her middle. Snow covered it coat and hair. His green hat and scarf were missing. The blond snowy locks rose to reveal matching honey eyes. A giant smile and rosy cheeks were plastered to the boys face.

"Too slow mama." Bentley laughed.

Mercedes chuckled breathlessly. "Yeah, too slow. But I almost got you." She poked his ribs through the large coat he wore. Bentley wiggled away from her touch, allowing Mercedes to sit up.

"Almost doesn't count." Derek said, leaning against the doorway. Like Bentley, his cheeks had a red tint to them. He'd forgone his own leather jacket, and switched it for a heavier black jacket. His dark grey scarf and hat were missing from him as well, but his gloves her on his hands. He reached out one of his hands to Mercedes.  
Mercedes took hold and allowed him to help her to her feet. "It got you two to stop throwing snowballs at me didn't it?"

Derek smiled. "There's still time."

"Shall I plan your funeral then?" Mercedes said in return. A small smile tugged at her lips.

For three months now, Derek had become an addition to their family. Somehow, the two of them had gotten together after Halloween and things had gone from there. They didn't put a name to what they were, but neither felt the need to. Derek often watched Bentley while Mercedes was at work, at least on the weekends she had to work, and often stayed the night at her place. As Mercedes saw it, Derek was good for Bentley to have around, as both a werewolf figure and a good man. She liked having him around so much. And as much as she was afraid to think about it, she felt safe with him nearby.

Grounds to cold to bury me." Derek replied.

Mercedes shrugged. "Like that would stop me."

Derek laughed.

Bentley grabbed one of Mercedes hands and started tugging toward the open door. "Mama, come see what we made! We made a family!"

"What?" Mercedes frowned and looked over to Derek. She caught sight of a tint higher up his cheeks. Derek blushing, maybe?

Bentley pulled Mercedes out of the house and into the yard. He raised his other arm and pointed to a smile of snow. It took Mercedes a moment to realize that she was looking at several snowmen. She walked closer, taking in the detail. The bodies weren't even or round by any means. Merced's had learned that lesson as a child. Each one was a different size to depict which place they held. There was a tall one, adorned with Derek's grey hat and scarf. A smaller one without any clothes, which she suspected might be her own. And a small one that wore Bentley's hat and scarf. It was quite the sight.

Mercedes smile. "Did you make these?"

Bentley nodded vigorously. "Derek help me put the heads on and his wouldn't stay on!"

Mercedes snorted. "Oh really?"

Derek shook his head. "Okay, inside. Mom's got food in the truck, remember."

"But mama's snowman needs clothes." Bentley replied.

As much as Mercedes wanted to keep wearing her hat and scar in the cold, she took off the hat and handed it to Bentley. She then picked up her son and lifted him up to her counterparts head. Bentley fixed the hat on the snowwoman's head and wiggled the scarf from Mercedes. He wrapped it messily around the neck, finishing it off.

"There! Done!" Bentley informed, as if he had created a work of art.

"Very nice." Mercedes replied.

Derek nodded. "Come on squirt, let go get the groceries."

Mercedes set Bentley back down and followed them inside. She closed the glass door as she stepped inside and unzipped her coat. She watched as Derek and Bentley headed toward the garage. Bentley grabbed Derek's arm and was lifted up over Derek's shoulder. Bentley squealed in laughter as he vanished into the garage. Mercedes couldn't hide the small smile that turned her lips. _Her boys_.

* * *

Tada first chapter is up! so glad to get this one going because this one is going to really bring up Mercedes past and get more into what she can do. hope you like the domestic life...cause it's gonna get messy later on!


	2. Chapter 2

The next dusting of snow that was scheduled to hit the outer edges of Beacon County had started not long after they sat down for dinner. From the kitchen table, Bentley had excitedly called attention to the glass door, nearly dumping his bowl of stew on the floor, if it hadn't been for Derek's quick catch.

"Calm down Ben." Mercedes said as she rose from the table. "You don't want the floor to eat your dinner do you? After Derek worked so hard to make it for us?"

Bentley shook his head vigorously and went back to devouring his dinner.

Mercedes chuckled and looked over to Derek. "Seconds?"

Derek nodded and passed his bowl to her. "Thanks."

"Keep an eye on him." She faked whispered.

Derek chuckled as Mercedes walked to the stove.

After they had unloaded the groceries from the truck, Mercedes had started prepping for dinner, until Derek had taken over. He shooed her out of her kitchen and sent Bentley to keep her busy. So, kicked out of her kitchen and given a chaperone, Mercedes spent the following hours playing with her son. Part of her had felt guilty that she got to spend time with her son while Derek cooked, but damn that man was a surprisingly great cook. Even Bentley liked his cooking and he was certainly a picky eater.

Mercedes gave the pot a quick stir, making sure the remains were equally heated, before ladling out the bowls. She grabbed a couple sliced of bread she'd made that morning and headed back to the table. Bentley was working on an extra chewy piece of beef while the broth dripping down his chin. Derek was trying to hide his chuckled as Mercedes return with his bowl and bread. She settled across from Derek and watched as Bentley finally finished chewing.

"Alright mister, its bath night. I want you in the tub when your done." Mercedes explained as she tore off a small piece of bread and soaked up some broth.

"Can I bring some toys?" Bentley asked.

"Nothing stuffed." Mercedes answered.

"But mama!" Bentley whined.

"No." She replied. "The last time you did that, I had to toss the Lion King squad into our dryer. I'm pretty sure Pumba is still leaking from that incident."

Derek snorted into his stew. He'd heard about the great flood in the Pride Land, as Bentley called it. Mercedes had called it a nightmare. Derek hadn't been over that night but he'd been told both versions of the story. Apparently, Pumba had had an ill-timed gas incident and caused a stampede which blocked up the ravine just before the rainy season hit. If it hadn't been for Simba and his Pride rescuing stranded animals, not everyone would have survived. By the time bath time was over, each one of Bentley's stuffed animals were soaped and soaked. Mercedes had tossed them through the dryer three times, claiming the Pride Lands were going through a drought. Needless to say, Mercedes didn't find it funny that Derek did.

"Keep it up wolf boy and you'll chaperone him up there." Mercedes warned as she grabbed Bentley's empty bowl and stood up from the table.

"If you thought the flood of the Pride Land was bad, imagine him playing Noah's Ark." Derek stated mischievously, cocking one of his brows.

Mercedes shot him a well deserved threatening glare across the table. She opened her mouth to remark, no doubt earning herself a few dollars in the swear jar, only to be interrupted by her cell phone going off. She glanced toward her phone before looking back to Derek. "Lucky."

Derek snorted as Mercedes went to find her phone. He rose from the table and picked up Bentley's empty bowl. "Upstairs squirt. You heard your mom."

Bentley whined and pushed his chair back from the table. "I hate bath time."

"Try recreating Jaws in the tub." Derek replied. "That'd make it fun."

Bentley looked up at Derek. "What's Jaws?"

Derek froze, realizing what he'd said. "Damn." There wasn't a way to get out of answering that question safely. Mercedes was going to have his hide if he told Bentley the truth. And Bentley would know outright if he was lying.

"Mama, Derek said a bad word!" Bentley called.

Mercedes turned around, holding her phone to her ear. "Then he owes a dollar to the jar."

Derek rolled his eyes and dug out his wallet. He'd lost at least a hundred dollars to their damn swear jar. He probably should take that as a sign to stop swearing. Granted Mercedes was still paying to the jar, so was it really possible to stop? He dug out a dollar, walked to the jar that was placed on the counter, and then dropped it in. He turned around and jumped when he found Bentley standing a foot from him. Damn kid was silent, like his mother.

"What's Jaws?" Bentley asked.

Derek sighed heavily. It was going to pay for this. "It's a movie about a shark."

Bentley blinked at him. "Oh! That could be fun."

Derek didn't doubt he'd have fun, but how the boy would do it was another matter. "Cool, go on upstairs."

Bentley scurried across the kitchen.

"Bentley, wait!" Mercedes called. She pulled her phone away and set it on speaker. "Say hi to uncle Lincoln."

"Hi!" Bentley called.

 _"Hey Benny, how's the snow?"_ Lincoln called.

"It's fun! I made a snowman family!" Bentley explained excitedly.

 _"Really? That's cool bud!"_

"Alright, upstairs for your bath." Mercedes said. Bentley scurried up the stairs toward the bathroom. Mercedes set the phone down on the counter and turned her attention to the dishes. "So how was Christmas in the Bahamas?"

 _"Incredible."_ Lincoln replied. _"The girls enjoyed swimming after presents. Having Rory did improve the trip as well."_

Holly and Lincoln's baby boy had been born several days after the caravan had landed in the Bahamas. They had called the night Rory had been born and sent dozens of pictures. Mercedes had left a pang of disappointment at not being able to be their for them during the birth, but she was no longer allowed within the caravan. She had made that decision when she killed Jag the previous summer and now she was living with the consequences. Still, it did nothing to ease the disappointment she felt. At least Rory was a looker. It was already obvious the boy was taking after his mother more than his father. His red hair matched his mothers, but it straight, like his fathers.

"Nothing like playing beach bums for Christmas." Derek chuckled. He knew of Mercedes opinion about the cold, which made it all the more fun to put his cold fingers down her shirt or throw a snowball at her. However, he couldn't deny that he was jealous of her brother's family playing on the beach on Christmas day.

Mercedes snickered beside him and picked up the dishes from the table. Swimming on Christmas day sounded better than how she'd spent Christmas. Well, that wasn't true at all. She had thoroughly enjoyed spending Christmas with her boys, and Christmas night with Derek. She reached into the sink and began rinsing off the plates while Derek loaded them into the dishwasher.

 _"Try not to be too jealous Derek."_ Lincoln chuckled on the other end. _"If the weather holds, you three will be down here by the end of the week. Best way to spend your ladies birthday."_

Derek looked up from the dishwasher and frowned. He hadn't heard anything about Mercedes and Bentley taking a trip to the Bahamas, much less him joining them. Not to mention the fact that Mercedes birthday was at the end of the week. He carefully loaded the bowls into the dishwasher.

Mercedes winced. She hadn't told him about the trip yet, much less ask him if he wanted to join them. "Hey Link, I've got to go. I'll call you later on and finalize our plans."

Lincoln must've noted the shift in the atmosphere, even over the phone. _"Everything alright?"_

Mercedes nodded, despite the fact that Lincoln couldn't see her. "Yeah, everything's good. It's just getting late and I need to check up on Bentley. I'll call later." She quickly reached out and ended the call. She took a slow breath and tried to prepare herself for an argument that was completely her fault. "Derek-"

"Don't." Derek replied. He closed the dishwasher with a snap and turned it on. He walked past her, heading for the stairs. "I'll go check on Bentley. Make sure he hasn't caused a tsunami."

Mercedes reached out and caught hold of his arm. "Derek!"

Derek spun around. "What? Is there something you want to tell me now?"

Mercedes was stunned by his sharp words. She had expected him to be upset by her actions, but this was not what she had expected at all. It was shocking and it hurt her to see how hurt he was by her.

"Maybe you should just save it." Derek replied, pulling his arm from her grasp. "Clearly you don't trust me enough to tell me anything."

Mercedes' jaw dropped opened by his cutting remarks. Derek said nothing more as he turned and headed up the stairs. Mercedes stood in the kitchen, stunned and hurt, by Derek's words. She hadn't meant to hurt him so much. Hell, she hadn't meant to hurt him at all. She had wanted to tell him about the trip, even get him to come along with them. She'd called Lincoln up weeks ago and asked if he was alright with Derek joining them. Lincoln had been a little hesitant about the idea, but had agreed. After all, it wasn't every day that Mercedes was bringing along the guy she was...whatever they were, to see her family.

Mercedes moved quickly out of the kitchen and into the living room. She threw herself into her large reading chair and picked up her book. Several weeks after the Echidna, Mercedes had realized that she needed to know everything about her kind. It wasn't an easy read, nor was it easy to accept what she was capable of. There were nights where she couldn't read the book out of pure disgust by what she had read the previous time. She flipped open to book to her marker and started to read.

For several minutes, she tried to focus on the section depicting the purpose for the pearl pods throughout her body, but her mind was in too much turmoil to focus of the writing. With a heavy sigh, Mercedes snapped the book shut and stood up from the chair. She was far too agitated to sit down and try to calm her mind, she needed something to do. Some mindless task where she could let her mind wander and allow muscle memory to take over. Mercedes walked out of he living room and head for the garage. She tossed on her coat and hate, and stepped into the garage.

* * *

ah trouble in paradise...


	3. Chapter 3

Derek turned back the blankets on Bentley's bed, fixing them up while Bentley struggled to it his head through the top of his shirt. Derek watched Bentley struggle for a few minutes with his shirt, before helping him slip his head through. He held the shirt open while Bentley next slipped his arms into the sleeves. Bentley crawled up into bed and pulled his covers over him. Bedtime wasn't typically Derek's job, but after he'd left Mercedes in the kitchen, he hadn't wanted to go back downstairs. He fixed the blankets around Bentley, tucking him in snuggly.

"Are you gonna marry mama?" Bentley asked suddenly.

Derek's head snapped up toward Bentley. "What?"

"Are you gonna marry mama?" Bentley repeated. He looked up at Derek full of innocence. Irony was a real bitch.

"You think I should?" Derek asked in return.

Bentley nodded. "Yeah. You make mama happy. Really happy. And she likes you, so that's good."

Not at the moment. Derek thought.

"So are you gonna marry her?" Bentley asked again.

Derek sighed heavily. "I don't know, Bentley."

"Ask her!" Bentley said, sitting straight up in his bed. "Ask her! Ask her! Ask her! Ask her!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Derek called. "Easy. It's bedtime, not bounce time."

"But you have to ask her, Derek." Bentley protested.

Derek shook his head. "First, it's too late to anyone anything. Second, it wouldn't just be my choice. If I ask your mom, she might not say 'yes'."

"She will." Bentley said confidently. "She likes you."

"Yeah? Well I like her too." Derek replied.

"And me?" Bentley asked.

Derek nodded. "And you. Now, bedtime. Go to sleep."

Bentley sighed heavily, his conversation overruled by the 'bedtime' law. He shuffled his body further down the bed until his bed found his pillow. He wiggled onto his side, nearly burying himself completely in his blanket. Derek ruffled Bentley's hair and turned off the table light. The room was instantly cast into darkness, safe for the small soft white glow of the nightlight across the room. Derek rose to his feet and made his way toward the door.

"Night Ben." Derek whispered.

Bentley mumbled from his pillow. "Night daddy."

For the second time in one night, Bentley had stunned Derek with his words. Derek gently closed the bedroom door in a daze. He'd lost the desire to have a family a long time ago. Nothing in New York had brought back the desire and Beacon Hills seemed to bring him only heartache. Even Mercedes didn't escape that category. But she and Bentley had done the one thing Derek hadn't felt in a long while. He felt at home. Being with them, living with them, everything from big events like Christmas, down to the smallest mindless tasks he enjoyed it all. It felt, strangely natural.

Perhaps that was where he went wrong. Perhaps he had merely assumed everything and Mercedes felt differently. After all, they seemed to still have issue's on trust. That was what it came down to; trust. Derek didn't care that she and Bentley were going on a vacation, he understood it. It was a family event and she hadn't seen them since summer. He'd miss them, sure, but he somehow felt more betrayed about not knowing it was for her birthday. He didn't understand why. Why had she not told him about her birthday? He had been with her and Bentley when Bentley had his birthday last fall.

Mercedes had come to him in hopes of getting an idea of what to do for Bentley's birthday. It was his first year without family around and she was unfamiliar with the area. Derek had immediately gotten an idea and told her he'd handle it. Mercedes had been skeptical, but she'd trusted him. Derek had pulled up to her place in his Toyota Cruiser early in morning, which had shocked Mercedes, and told her to get Bentley and get in. He hadn't told them where they were going, simply that they would have a great time. When they made it to the beach, Bentley and Mercedes were both glowing with excitement. Bentley had nearly ripped his way out of his car seat until Derek managed to get him out. They'd spent the day on the beach, playing, laughing, enjoying the day. Derek had even snuck a small cake in one of the coolers and lit small sparklers instead of candles. That hadn't stopped Bentley from trying to blow them out. It had been a good day and a good trip.

Derek sighed heavily and turned from Bentley's door. He walked silently down the hall toward the master bedroom. He flicked on the light and walked in. Like the rest of the house, it had its own homey feel to it. To the left was the walk in closet, that actually held more costumes than everyday clothes. Along the wall next to the closet, was a large handcrafted dresser. The cedar wood was darkly stained and engraved with designs all over its body. The nobs were handcrafted out of wood as well and embellished with a pewter brass inlay. The bed was against the far wall where the large windows overlooked it. Derek hadn't seen a round bed until the first night he spent at the house. It was odd, but it fit with rooms design. It was very welcoming with several green throw pillows. Mercedes had even gone so far as to install a small canopy in the ceiling overlaid with white sheer fabric. It certainly made it a nice scene with the sun coming up behind them.

Derek walked to the bed and crouched down. He reached beneath the bed and pulled out his old duffle bag. Derek rose to his feet, tossed the bag on top of the bed, and headed for the closet. He stepped inside and one by one, he removed his shirts from the closet and tossed them onto the bed. He tried not to notice the amount of his clothes that he'd brought over with him seemed to be more than Mercedes inside the closet. when the closet was empty of his belongings, Derek moved to the dresser. He pulled open the drawers that had been emptied for his use and cleared everything out. He dumped them all on the bed and began stuffing everything into the bag. He forced the zipper to shut and slung the strap over his shoulder.

Derek walked out of the bedroom, turning off the light as he left, and headed for the stairs. He made no noise as he moved down stairs, and he heard nothing either. The living room was empty, but he caught the book was misplaced. He assumed Mercedes had tried to read after he left. He took a quick peek in the kitchen and found it empty as well. Derek sighed as he realized that Mercedes had taken up refuge in the garage. He walked to the coat rack and took his leather jacket from the hook. He looked at his other coat hanging up beside it. The snow had melted off and allowed it to dry. Internally, Derek debated whether to take it or not. It had been a gift from Mercedes; a birthday gift. He hadn't needed a coat like it, but it had certainly saved his leather jacket with Bentley continuously wanting to play out in the snow.

With a sigh, Derek left the coat where it was and headed for the garage. He pushed open the door and paused. Hunched over in the corner was Mercedes. She was kneeling on the ground beside her bike, cussing up a good twenty dollars worth for the swear jar, all Romanian. If he hadn't been in such a low mood, Derek would've laughed at the colorful combination Mercedes was using. But that just went to show the severity of the situation, Mercedes was trying to clear her head just like he was. Derek silently made his way to his car and set the duffle bag on the hood. He pressed the button on his key ring, triggering the garage door.

As the door engaged, Mercedes spun around, dropping her tools. Derek caught a flash of violet in her eyes before she recognized him. Her eyes shifted between him and the door as her mind slowly made the connection.

"Derek-"

"I'm heading out." Derek stated. He picked up his bag, opened the driver door, and tossed the duffle into the passenger seat.

Mercedes bolted to her feet. "Derek, you can't see the road anymore."

"I can manage." He replied. He began to climb into his car when he felt Mercedes clamp her cold hand over his. Derek met her gaze. "I think we've gotten way too comfortable with whatever lie we're living."

Hurt flashed through Mercedes eyes. "Lie?"

"It's what it is. We can go about pretending to be a family, but in the end it's all lies. The only one who doesn't is Bentley." Derek replied.

Mercedes shook her head. "Why don't you just say what you want to say?"

Derek nodded slowly. "Okay. For someone who asks for trust, you sure aren't very trusting in return."

"Excuse me?" her eyes narrowed sharply.

"You're damn right." Derek replied.

"If you're pissed off about the vacation-"

"It's not the vacation, Mercedes." Derek stated. "You haven't seen your family since they left. You should be able to see them every chance yo get."

Mercedes shook her head. "Then what are you so pissed about."

"How about the real reason you're going." he finished.

There was a moment of silence between them.

"My birthday."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Derek asked.

"Because I don't know." Mercedes answered.

Derek shook his head. "That's not enough this time." He brushed her hand from his and moved around the door to climb in.

Mercedes moved faster. She caught hold of his arm before he slipped inside. "It's because I don't know, Derek. I don't know my birthday." She practically panted in front of him, trying to stay ahead of him. "We don't celebrate my birthday. We celebrate the day the Walker's found me on a beach. It's not the same thing."

The burning sensation of filled her eyes as they blurred with tears. Damnit, she was not about to cry about this. Not in front of him. She quickly let go of his arm and wiped away the tears. "If you're set on leaving, take the truck. At least you'd have a better chance of making it back in one piece." Mercedes turned from him and headed back inside the house.

Derek stood alone in the garage long after Mercedes had left, torn. He wasn't sure what he was more upset with; Mercedes or himself. Nothing seemed to make sense with this woman. But then again, she hadn't had a normal childhood. Derek looked out toward the dark blanket of snow. One was sure, Mercedes was right about the snow. Derek triggered the door and watched it close in front of him. He retrieved his duffle bag from within the car and shut the door. He walked out of the garage and back into the house. He slipped his shoes off and made his way to the couch. Derek set his bag beside the couch and sat down with a heavy sigh. He sat in the dark room, listening to the surrounding silence of the house. What had once felt warm and inviting, now loomed around him as cold as outside. One thing was certain, he and Mercedes needed to set everything straight before they made any decision about them. They'd played this guessing game for too long, and although it had been fun, it was also putting a lot of stress on the two of them. If they wanted a chance at a real future together, they needed to clear the air. Derek sighed again and laid himself down. It was going to be a very, very, long night.

* * *

Derek woke the following morning to the sound of a tea kettle whistling from the kitchen. He blinked his eyes several times, trying to orient himself. Light from the outside filtered into the living room, casting a grey glow around him. Derek sat up on the couch, pushing his jacket that he'd used as a blanket off his chest. He stood up and stretched his back out. The couch wasn't terrible, it was actually very comfortable, but he wasn't used to sleeping on it. He turned his attention toward the kitchen and silently made his way down the hall. His eyes quickly fell to Mercedes, standing next to the stove.

The kettle was still sitting on the burning, steam pillowing out the spout. Her back was to him as she moved carefully. She was still wearing her pajama's from the evening. Her grey sweater hung loosely from her body, exposing her bare shoulder and yellow cami strap. Her tattoo peeked out from beneath the sweater. The black yoga capris clung to the curves of her hips and legs. She moved slowly, pouring the boiling water into her mug, and carefully stirring the contents. He caught the faint aroma of chocolate coming from her cup. She set the spoon to the side of her cup and picked up the cup in one hand. Her empty hand lay pressed against the counter rim. From his position, Derek caught the scars she'd received fighting the Echidna. Several sessions in the water had left her with the visible scars of the encounter. She'd put her life on the line for a town who believed she was a murderer, hell there were some that still believed it. She'd killed her adopted brother and suffered the consequences with her family for it. Derek didn't understand how she couldn't accept that she was a reason to celebrate.

"Roads should be clear enough on the freeway." Derek said.

Mercedes gasped in surprised. She spun around, quickly swallowing the scalding liquid, and trying not to choke on it. She set her cup down on the counter. "I didn't realize you'd stayed."

"Roads weren't safe." Derek answered.

Mercedes frowned. "So you slept on the couch?"

"It seemed like a better idea." Derek answered. He slowly moved to her side and leaned against the counter. They stood in silence for several long minutes. Neither one wanted to speak first, but the tension of what needed to be said weighed on both of them. "I think I should go. A little space and time to clear our heads. Get our priorities straight."

Mercedes slowly nodded. "You're probably right."

Derek took hold of Mercedes' hand into his and faced her. "Look, don't think i don't care about you, Cedes. I do. You and Bentley, both. But I need to know that you're ready to let go of the past. Your adoptive mom, her sons, Bentley's dad, they're not in your life anymore. Don't let them dictate what you do now." He leaned down kissed her forehead. "I'll call in a few days."

Unable to trust her own voice, Mercedes simply nodded.

Derek released her hand and walked down the hall into the living room. Derek gathered his bag and slipped on his shoes. He turned toward the stairs, where Bentley was sitting up on the top step. the boy was like his mother, silent. Still dressed in his pajama's, Bentley stared down at Derek. Even shadowed by the stairwell, Derek could make out the hurt and disappointment on the boys face. Without a word, Bentley left the stairs and rushed off, presumably to his room.

"Just disappointing everyone today." Derek muttered. He turned from the stairs and headed out into the garage. The warmth of the house was quickly sucked away by the bitter cold of the garage. Derek took a deep breath and hurried into his car, cursing the snow under his breath. He climbed inside his car and stated the engine. He triggered the garage door and waited as it slowly raised up.

Derek shifted into gear and carefully backed out of the garage. He listened to the snow as the tires crushed it moving down the driveway. HE carefully turned the wheel, redirecting his car. he wasn't new to driving in snow, hell New York got plenty of it while he'd lived there, but this was the first time he ever recalled Beacon Hills getting snow like this. The care began to ease forward on the dirt road.

From the corner of his right eyes, Derek suddenly caught frantic movement. He turned to see Mercedes sprinting across the yard,s till wearing her pajamas. Derek parked the car and climbed out. Mercedes came to a stop at the passenger door.

"What is it?"

Mercedes gasped. "Stilinski's on the phone."

Derek frowned. "Stiles?"

"Sherriff. And Deaton." Mercedes replied. "Something's happened."

"To Scott?"

"No, but something's happened."

Derek turned off his car and followed Mercedes back into the house. He shut the door behind them as Mercedes walked to the couch, where her phone was laying. Her body shivered from the cold as she sat down.

"Okay, I've got him." Mercedes called.

 _"Derek?"_

"I'm here." Derek replied. "What's going on?"

 _"We're not sure yet, but we're hoping you can help us figure it out."_ Stilinski said. _"Park Rangers found a body early this morning several miles off the path. Park's closed for the snow, so it was a fluke tat they found them, but the body's pretty mangled up."_

"Any idea what is was?" Mercedes asked.

 _"They're not sure yet."_ Deaton answered.

"But you think it was something dangerous." Derek stated.

 _"Unfortunately, yes. How soon can you get here?"_

Derek looked over at Mercedes. "Ten minutes."

* * *

With the freak snow storm, the pack's numbers had been cut in half. Allison had gone to France with her father, and taken Isaac with them. No one said anything about the fact that Scott and Allison had broken up after Halloween and that Allison and Isaac were now involved while Scott was spending more and more time with a new girl names Kira, but it was too obvious not to notice. Jackson had left with his parents to visit London. The last anyone had heard from him what that he was pursuing a lead on other werewolves in the area. What remained of the pack was waiting in the room when Derek and Mercedes emerged from within the cabinet. Derek carried Bentley's backpack while Bentley walked beside his mom, now fully dressed.

Lydia and Kira were standing near the cabinet. Both girls were dressed for the winter weather, although Lydia was more fashion than Kira's was practical. Lydia was dressed in beige pants with a white shirt. She wore a cream colored sweater of the long sleeved shirt. Her infinity scarf and hat matched.

Kira had moved to Beacon Hills after Halloween. Her father had taken up a position at the high school, teaching history. She wore black leggings with a her plaid skirt and combat boots. Her red coat covered up the shirt, but the hem of the shirt peeked out the bottom; Scott's shirt.

Lydia smiled and looked down at Bentley. "Hey Benny!"

Bentley smiled and released Mercedes' hand. He scurried off across the hall toward Lydia. Lydia had become Bentley's favorite babysitter, save for Derek, and was more than willing to spend time with the town genius. Lydia, at the start, hadn't been too keen on babysitting, but after several times, she'd grown to enjoy spending time with Bentley as much as Bentley enjoyed it. Lydia took Bentley's hand and led him toward Deaton's office. Kira took the pack from Derek and followed them.

They waited until Deaton's office door was closed, before addressing the situation. Derek turned to Deaton. "So, what do we know?"

Deaton waved him toward the exam table, where there were several photos scattered about. "Rangers found the body about three miles off the main trail. Apparently the victim was camping out there when he was attacked. What we have here, are the crime scene photographs. It's pretty bad."

Derek picked up one photo and inhaled sharply. He looked down what he assumed was their victim. there was so much blood covering the body. Deep gashed covered most of his body and that was just one picture. Derek quickly put it down and grabbed another one. One by one, each photo was viewed and reviewed. With the same results; the crime scene was a bloody massacre.

"Park rangers didn't find an I.D. on the victim." Stilinski explained as he lowered one of the pictures back to the table. "So we have a John Doe for the moment."

Scott swallowed nauseously as he laid down his picture. He'd managed to grab the most gruesome yet. It was what had once been the victim's face. There was nothing left to discern any facial features. The eyes had been clawed out of their sockets, the end of the nose ripped away. The right cheek had been completely ripped in half, revealing the teeth within. The gashes were deep and precise. Whatever had made them, clearly did not want to victim identified. "Any idea what could do this?"

Deaton shook his head. "The rangers think it was a bear. Now the only drawback is that the only bear I can think of capable of doing this much mutilation isn't in our state."

"So what else could do this?" Stiles asked, setting down a campsite photo.

"A Bruin." Mercedes answered, reviewing one of the body pictures.

All eyes shifted to Mercedes. Deaton's eyes grew wide. Derek became stiff. Scott frowned as he took in their sudden change.

"What's a Bruin?" Stiles asked.

"Shapeshifting Bear with an attitude." Derek answered.

"So like you, but a bear." Stiles stated.

Derek shook his head. "My attitude has nothing on them."

Stiles eyes grew wide. "Shit."

Deaton looked to Mercedes. "When did you encounter them?"

Mercedes looked up form the picture. "We had a family join our caravan about ten year ago. They used their claws to carve out wooden and stone figurines."

"What else do you know about them?" Stilinski asked.

"They're very good trackers. Once they catch their scent, they can stay on it or days." She continued. "Their hides are extremely thick, which makes them difficult to kill no matter what weapon you plan on using. They're aggressive, they're strong, but they're not too fast. Their weight slows them down, which gives you a chance to run away."

"That didn't help this guy." Stiles muttered. "Wait, how do you know so much about them?"

"My father was the head of a supernatural caravan." Mercedes stated. "Ask me what I don't know."

"What reason could it have had to attack?" Stilinski asked.

"Could be territory." Derek suggested.

"Didn't know there were Bruin's in Beacon Hills." Mercedes replied.

"There aren't." Deaton answered.

"Which would make this the first one." Derek stated. "It could be a vendetta. This guy was on the run and the Bruin finally caught up with him."

"Considering the Bruin tore him apart but didn't eat him, I'd say that's a safe bet." Mercedes replied. She laid the picture back down on the table.

Scott shook his head. "Whatever the reason, we need to find out."

Derek turned to Stilinski. "What else did the Rangers say?"

Stilinski folded his arms in front of his chest. "They've secured the campsite, but with the weather there's no telling how long it will last. Their station also can't hold the body for more than a day. They want us to send someone up there to retrieve it." Stilinski finished. He snorted. "Like I've got a rig that can drive this snow."

"But I do." Mercedes looked up form the table. "My truck's driven on roads a lot worse than these."

Stilinski turned toward her. "You do, huh."

Derek thought carefully. "How far is it?"

Stilinski shrugged. "Sixty miles Northeast, nearly the lake."

"My truck can make that easy." Mercedes replied. She straightened herself upright. "I can drive up, retrieve the body, and check out the attack site before the weather turns."

"You can't go alone." Scott said. "If there's something up there, Bruin or not, it could come after you if it catches you snooping around."

"You're not going with her, Scott." Deaton said. "Alpha or not, your mother would kill you."

"That's goes double for you, Stiles." Stilinski warned.

Stiles rolled his eyes.

"I'll go with her." Derek said, still reviewing the photographs. "I want to take a look at the campsite."

Stilinski looked to Mercedes. "You're sure you want to drive up there?"

"Wouldn't be my first snow ride, Sheriff." Mercedes replied. "Nor my first Bruin run in."

Stilinski nodded. "Alright. I'll work on credentials for the two of you."

"When did you start forging documents, dad?" Stiles asked.

"Since the two of you dragged me into this." he replied.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Never! I'm not letting my son fake an I.D." Stilinski replied.

Mercedes tuned out the squabbling and gathered the photographs from the table. "Do you mind if I bring these along?"

"Take them. You might find more on the drive over there." Deaton replied.

Mercedes nodded. "I can set up a call when we get over there, send you what we've found."

"I'll get an examination kit together for you." Deaton explained. He walked from the table and headed toward another room.

"Someone would have to watch Bentley." Derek stated.

"I doubt Lydia would have a problem with it." Stiles replied.

"I'd say the whole pack should stay together." Mercedes said. "Safer with numbers and my place is the safest one in Beacon Hills."

Derek nodded.

"Alright, soon as you two are pack, head out. But keep in touch." Scott ordered. "The last thing we need is to be caught off guard."

"Again." Stiles muttered.

* * *

sorry it's late and so broken up. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things here. Introduced a new character! well not new to those of us who love the tv show. (no I will not be adding Malia in case you're wondering.) don't worry, there will be more shortly


	4. Chapter 4

An hour later, Mercedes and Derek were cruising down the highway in her loaded truck. Mercedes as seated in the driver's seat, trying to keep herself warm. Derek was in the passenger seat, reviewing the photos from the Rangers up north. He'd taken his heavy coat off prior to leaving Beacon Hills with the heater on as high as it was. He'd offered to drive the truck up to the station, but Mercedes had adamantly refused the offer. She had far more experience in snow driving than Derek did, and it was her truck. She was just as possessive of her truck than with her motorcycle.

The roads themselves were fairly clear, but given the amount of snow piled up on the side of the roads, it was a good thing that Stilinski had asked Mercedes to drive up. The trees were coated in a fine layer of snow, giving them a heavy winter coat. The area was quite beautiful as they drove past. Mercedes often missed the simple beauty of the slow, the memories buried beneath the irritation of driving in the dangerous weather.

Her eyes drifted to the rear mirror, catching site of the rifle on the back rack behind their seat. She sighed as she thought back of the argument it had caused when they'd been loading up the truck. Just one more thing she'd been hiding from Derek. Mercedes shook her head, mentally berating herself. Derek was right, they were living a lie. The more she kept from him, the more likely she was going to lose him. And that thought actually terrified Mercedes more than anything else.

"When I was six, Starling told me I was adopted." Mercedes said.

Derek looked up from the photos. They'd been in silence for so long, he hadn't expected her to say anything. "What?"

"I was six years old when Starling brutally revealed the truth that I was adopted. I was still under the belief that she was my birth mother, but that she was playing favorites. Parents do that whether they say it or not." She explained. "We were living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, after a festival. We were spending a few extra days there before heading to East London. My dad had planned for us to spend the day on the beach. Even little it was my favorite place. I didn't know what I was at that point, but I was always drawn to the water. Besides myself, he and Lincoln were the only ones that were excited about it, Jag and Ford were just jealous because it wasn't their birthday. We were actually close at one point." She swallowed before continuing. "Dad and Kurt had left for something, I can't remember what anymore, and while they were away I was playing with Jag and ford in front of the trailer. Starling came up to us and sent the boys off to play so she could talk to me. She gave me a pearl necklace. I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Then she told me that it was from my real mother. I didn't understand and that was when she told me everything. That they'd found me all alone, hidden in the rocks, on the beach with the tide coming in. She put the necklace on me and said that my mother wanted nothing to do with me and left the necklace in her place. Starlin said she was lucky, because she got away from me, while Starlin couldn't. The worst part was how she said it. It was like she was having coffee conversations with her friends. Like it wasn't breaking me. And then she left. Dad and Lincoln came back, but I was had run away. Scared the hell out of them."

"Where'd you go?" Derek asked.

"Town. I didn't care where, I just had to get away. Dad found me and brought me back. Demanded to know why I ran away on my birthday. I lost it right there. I asked him if what was all true. If my mother really left me to die on the beach. He told me everything. How they found me, hidden away in a grove of rocks while the tide was coming in. I wasn't more than a few days old. How Kurt and Starlin fought over keeping me. They already had Lincoln and Ford, and Starlin was pregnant with Jag at the time. He won." Mercedes inhaled slowly. "After that, things changed. Starlin kept Jag and ford from me and turned them against us. All of us. She did everything to remind me that I was unwanted. Dad and Lincoln tried to make things better, but I didn't care anymore. Every year it was just another reminder that Starlin was right, I wasn't wanted by anyone. My own mother left me to die with nothing more than a necklace as a parting gift." Her right hand released the steering wheel and reached beneath her coat and shirt. Her fingers caught the chain and pulled out form its hiding place. "The only thing of hers that I own. The reminder I keep, that proves she didn't want me. And I didn't start to care again…until I met Marius."

Derek's eyes widened. "Bentley's father?"

Mercedes nodded. She wanted to stop talking, to forget about it all. To lock it all back up and forget. But she couldn't do it. She had to tell him everything and hope that he was different. He was different. Derek had proven himself from the beginning that he was nothing like Marius.

"Mercedes-" Derek said.

"You wanted to know, Derek." Mercedes replied. "You should know. You should know just how screwed up they made me."

"We need to talk, yes, but now's not the time." Derek stated.

"Are you kidding me?" Mercedes demanded. "You yell at me for not being honest and now you don't want to hear why."

"That's not what I said." Derek replied. "I just think that we have other things to focus on right now."

"So, it's on your terms. Like everything else." Mercedes muttered.

"Station's on your left."

Mercedes quickly began slowing the truck and down shifting gears. The truck slowed along the street and turned off the highway. The snow wasn't as plowed as the highways had been. The ice was crushed beneath the tires. The truck crawled along the road. Tree limbs hung over the road, brushing against both sides of the truck, dusting them with snow.

With the roads lightly plowed, neither Derek nor Mercedes knew about the roads condition, until the truck tires hit the first pot hole. The cab jerked, lurching the both forward. Derek braced himself against the trucks frame. Mercedes tightly gripped the steering wheel and carefully shifted gears again. The tires rolled through pothole after pothole, jarring the truck cab and testing the suspension and shocks.

"Stilinski was right to send us up here." Mercedes said as the truck surged into another pothole. "None of his rigs could survive this. I doubt Stiles' Jeep could."

The truck lurched again, causing Derek to winced. "No so sure your truck will either."

Mercedes cursed as the truck lurched again. She was going to have to do some major work on the undercarriage when they got back to Beacon Hills. "At least I have a rig to get us up here."

"There's the station." Derek said.

"I see it." Mercedes snapped. She carefully maneuvered her truck up in front of the station.

The station appeared to be nothing more than a large house in the middle of the woods, if not for the snow-covered state park sign several yards behind them. The station was a single story. The walls were mostly made of windows, but the cloud coverage kept them from looking in. There was a good couple feet of snow piled in front of the station. The only gap that could be seen was in front of the doors, but nothing in the parking lot.

Without a car for lines, as there were no other vehicles nearby, Mercedes pulled her truck up near the front of the station and cut the engine. Derek pulled his coat on before opening his door. He gathered the photos and put them inside his bag and climbed out of the truck. Mercedes slid out of the drivers' seat and dropped into the snow. She wasn't one to feel short, but the snow level certainly made it difficult. She struggled around the truck toward Derek.

Derek had his own struggle as he watched Mercedes move through the snow. She looked like a rabbit trying to hop through the snow. He kept back his smile and took her arm. He cleared some snow out of her path as he moved, giving her an easier path. As he reached the door, Derek turned and caught Mercedes by the waist. He quickly lifted her out of the snow and set her in front of the doors. He grabbed the handle and opened the door for her.

Without a word, Mercedes scurried inside, bringing a hail of snow in with her. Derek followed after her, with less snow following him. Mercedes wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm herself up. The interior of the station was more of what they expected. To the left of the main entrance was a large reception desk. The top was heavily beaten from years of use. The front of the desk was covered with different pamphlets bearing information about different park activities or wildlife information. Behind the desk were old county maps of the park and photographs of the parks initial opening. But there was no one around.

Derek walked to the front desk and tapped the small bell. They waited through the chime for someone to appear. "How much do you want to bet no one is here?"

Mercedes unwrapped the scarf from her neck. "That's great, considering hey called us."

Derek nodded and tapped the bell again.

"Coming!" came a voice.

Derek and Mercedes both turned toward its source, further inside the station. They walked from the desk into the next room, which served as a gathering hall. Large tables were set up throughout the hall, but the chairs were all stacked on top of the tables. They stood in the large hall alone.

"Sorry folks, but parks closed for the storm."

Derek and Mercedes turned and found an older man making his way toward them. He stood a few inches taller than Derek. His head was covered in a black beanie with a red scarf. He wore a dark jacket embroidered with the state park logo. He made his way through the hall toward them. His skin had a pale tint to it, almost like he was sick.

"We're from Beacon Hills, actually." Mercedes replied.

"Deputy Hale and Doctor Walker." Derek informed, pulling out the badge Stilinski had given him. "You spoke with Sheriff Stilinski about an attack."

The ranger nodded. "Ah, yes. Thank you for coming so quickly. Especially in this weather. I'm Ranger Rick."

Both Mercedes and Derek said nothing to that statement.

"Yes, I've heard everything on that one." Rick replied. He stepped forward to shale their hands.

Derek shook his hand first. "What can you tell us about the attack?"

Rick sighed heavily. "It's the worst one I've ever seen. We secured the site, but with the weather, there's no telling how it will stay."

"And the body?" Mercedes asked.

Rick gestured over his shoulder. "We have in the back room. It was the best we could do. Mitchel's back with it now."

"We'll need to examine it, if possible." Mercedes informed.

Rick nodded. "Of course. I'll have Mitchel take you back there. Mitchel!"

From the back came a second Ranger, a younger one. His blond hair was spiked, whether from continuously running his hand through it or on purpose, who knew. He looked to be Derek and Mercedes age, probably a new hire with the previous summer season. He quickly joined the group. Derek noticed the younger rangers' eyes watching Mercedes closely. "What's up Rick?"

Rick gestured to Mercedes and Derek. "Beacon Hills' team arrived. They want to see the body. Mind taking them back?"

Mitchel visibly blanched. "Sure thing."

"I should grab my kit from the truck first." Mercedes replied.

"I'll walk you out." Rick offered. The two quickly headed back into the lobby and out the door, leaving Derek with Mitchel.

"Ranger Colby Mitchel." Mitchel said, holding his hand toward Derek.

Derek shook Mitchel's hand. "Deputy Hale. And my partner is Doctor Walker."

Mitchel nodded, his eyes drifting toward the door. "She's a vet?"

"You were expecting something else?" Derek sked.

"Just don't see many vets that look that gorgeous." Mitchel replied. "She single?"

Derek cocked an eyebrow. Hitting the poor kid was out of the question, no matter how much Derek wanted to. But he knew something the kid didn't know, Mercedes was more than he could handle. "She's out of your league."

"What makes you say that?" Mitchel asked.

Derek looked him dead in the eye. "Experience."

Rick and Mercedes returned at that moment, ending the conversion. "Mitchel, go on and take them to the back."

Mitchel nodded and led them through the hall. Derek took the bag from Mercedes and followed after Mitchel, keeping Mitchel a good distance from Mercedes. They weaved between the tables, heading toward the back of the hall. Mitchel led them down the back hall, where the decorations were sparser along the walls. They walked past the bathrooms and storage closet. The hall came to an end with a final door. Mitchel pushed open the door to the small room.

The inside of the room was lit with a dim ceiling light and light from the outside. The windows were rectangular shaped, lined up near the ceiling. Dozens of old filing cabinets lined up against the wall beneath the windows. Old boxes were stacked upon the top of the cabinets, overflowing with papers and maps. Rolled carboard tubes were scattered through the room. Some were propped against the walls while others lay scattered about the floor. There was a single table in the center of the room with a black bag on top. Bags of snow lay over the top of the bag.

"This used to be an old office room. Now body storage." Mitchel explained.

"You put them in an office?" Derek asked.

Mitchel shrugged. "We don't exactly have a morgue up here."

Mercedes gently pushed past Derek and Mitchel, entering the room. She walked up to the table and carefully brushed the snow from the bag. Derek came up beside her and set the bag on the floor. He opened up the bag and pulled out a pair of gloves, passing them to Mercedes. She unzipped her coat and tossed it to the side. She slipped them on the gloves and began to unzip the bag.

"I'll uh, be up front if you need anything." Mitchel explained quickly. He closed the door before either Derek and Mercedes could respond.

"Poor guy." Mercedes mumbled as she worked with the zipper. "Probably his first body."

Derek tossed his jacket alongside Mercedes and pulled out a camera from the bag. He stood up and moved around to the other side of the table. "Kids lucky he didn't end up being the second victim."

Mercedes arched a brow at his words, but said nothing. "You ready?"

Derek nodded.

Mercedes completely unzipped the bag and pushed open the flap. She gasped in surprise and quickly averted her eyes. Derek did the same, taking a moment to absorb what they saw. The photos from the rangers had prepared them for a brutal killing, but what they found was something else. Derek paused for a moment, catching the scent. He could differentiate the scent of the woods and blood, but there was another one that he'd encountered before.

"Let's start with the head." Mercedes said. She moved to the head of the table.

The face had been mutilated beyond recognition. The eyes had been gouged out, leaving a bloody trail and gaping holes in their wake. Derek took several pictures while Mercedes examined the body. Moving down the structure, they found several lacerations across the face, as if whatever had attacked him had taken one single strike to do the damage found. From the right side of his face, down to the lower left of his jaw, the skin held deep cuts. The left cheek had been completely cut open, exposing the teeth to the elements.

"What can you see?" Derek asked.

"It was strong." Mercedes said. "Single strike. And it didn't want the body identified." Her eyes drifted down to the victim's neck. She carefully moved her fingers along the skin, only to find it perfectly preserved. No marks beyond the blood. "There's on markings."

Derek frowned. He lifted the camera and took several photos of the neck. "An animal would've gone for the throat first."

"Exactly." Mercedes said as she continued to examine the body. "Which only widens our suspect pool."

The exam moved to the torso. Mercedes gently pushed her hands against the body. Although torn, there were no deep lacerations on the body like the face. The clothes were dirty and covered in blood, but it didn't originate from any chest wounds. Her hands came to a caved in sections on the left rib cage.

"Broken ribs." Mercedes said. "Shattered, actually. This was torture."

"Check out the hands." Derek said, gesturing further down the table.

Mercedes turned her attention to the hands. There was more evidence of mutilations. Every single fingertip and thumb tip had been removed from the body. The appendages were left in jagged stumps attached to the palm. Further down she discovered that the victims leg had been broken in numerous place, preventing any chances of escaping.

"Whoever our victim is, whoever killed him didn't want anyone to know who it was." Mercedes informed. "Face, fingers, not likely to get dental I.D."

Derek shook his head and he continued to take pictures. "Anything proving your Bruin theory?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Mercedes said. She moved back up to the face. "These markings weren't made by a werewolf. The spacing is too small. When Bruin's shift, their paws are huge, but the space between the claws is actually quite small. If you were to claw my face, the spacing would be different. Your index and pinky would barely do any damage. But on the body, they do just as much as the other fingers. And that's not including the claws themselves."

"Keep going." Derek encouraged.

"Every set of claws varies from species to species. They have different uses; gripping, tearing, serrating." She continued. "Mine are meant for cutting cleanly. Yours are meant for tearing."

"And Bruin's?"

"They use them for offensive. It's not the claws that cause the damage but the force they put into it. Typically, and claw damage isn't intentional." Mercedes finished.

"But that's not the case here." Derek pointed out.

Mercedes shook her head. "No it's not. Which begs the question, why did the Bruin want him dead?"

They lapsed into silence as Mercedes continued to inspect the body. Derek looked down at the arms. He could easily tell the bones had been broken as well. The Bruin, or whoever killed the guy, had gone through a lot of trouble to keep him alive before killing him. He took a few photos when his eyes caught something. The skin on his wrist was discolored, but not from the cold. Not only that, but the arms had slight indentations in the skin. Like the pours were opening.

"Mercedes, look at the wrist." Derek said.

Mercedes looked up from the stomach, which she'd learned had been cut open after death. She turned her attention to the wrists. "Ligature marks. They were restrained."

"There's something else." Derek said. He set the camera down on the table and moved to the bag. He fished out another pair of gloves and slid them over his hands. He returned to the table and grabbed the wrist. He carefully pushed up the shirt, exposing further up the arm. He exposed the divots in the skin. "What are those?"

Mercedes stared at them closely. She took the arm from Derek for a closer look. She slowly began to shake her head. "It can't be."

"What?"

Mercedes lowered the hand back to the table and moved to the far end of the table. She pushed the pant leg up past the ankle. Beneath the blood, Derek spotted a tattoo. It was simple in its design; a linear cross with a large dot on each lower side of the cross. He was unfamiliar with the symbol, but from what way Mercedes stared at it, she was.

"Shit." She gasped.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

But Mercedes didn't seem to hear him. She all but dropped the leg back onto the table. "Shit, shit, shit."

"Cedes?" Derek watched as all the color drained from her face in under a minute. Her eyes were glued to the body. She took a staggering couple of steps away from the table. Her breaths suddenly came in short, shallow gasps. Derek feared she would pass out any moment. He moved around the table to her side. "Mercedes!"

The volume of Derek's voice shattered whatever spell Mercedes was under. She bolted from the table, racing out of the room. She shoved open the office door slamming it into young Mitchel as she bolted. The cups of coffee exploded on impact, painting the ranger boy in the liquid, and the ranger himself to the ground. Mercedes raced down the hall and sprinted into the bathroom. Derek ran out of the room. He'd never seen Mercedes act in such a way. Not since…

"What the hell was that?" Mitchel asked from the ground.

Thinking quickly, Derek played with the events. "Stomach finally had enough."

Mitchel whistled. "Damn. She lasted longer than the rest of us."

"It's the worst case we've seen." Derek replied, but his eyes remained on the bathroom door.

"Guess you guys don't want coffee." Mitchel stated, looking down at his shirt.

"Probably not a good time. Better rinse it before the stain sets." He left Mitchel on the floor and walked down the hall to the bathroom doors. He leaned close to the door, listening on the other side. He caught the sound of retching and the occasional flushing of the toilet. Derek lifted his hand to the door and knocked. "Mercedes?"

Derek waited a few seconds before pushing open the door. He stepped inside the bathroom and searched for Mercedes. The stalls were all wood and stood just under six feet tall, preventing most patrons from looking over at their neighbor. Derek walked down the line toward the last stall. He caught the sound of coughing coming from the end. The door was shut, unlike the remaining door. Derek cautiously pushed open the door.

Kneeling on the ground, leaning over the toilet, was Mercedes. Her face was tinted red from exertion, but that was all the color that was present in her pale hue. Her cheeks were streaked with tears that had fallen and those that continued to fall. Hands trembled where they lay, on the handle and ground. Her lips shook as she struggled to catch her breath.

Derek strode to her side in two steps and knelt behind her. Her body trembled in front of him. He gently laid his hands on her shoulders. "Hey."

Mercedes looked over her shoulder to Derek. Her eyes were red rimmed from her tears. "It's Ford."

* * *

what?! I didn't what now?! yeah when does anything I do make sense? quite a bit actually and fear not, all will be revealed within the next few chapters...and then the REAL fun begins...


	5. Chapter 5

It hadn't taken much to convince the rangers to let them stay in the park cabins overnight, especially given Mercedes state. Derek had Mercedes settled in the truck while he worked out the details of their cabin location, which was conveniently located within a few miles of the attack site. Neither Mitchel nor Rick had thought to put away their map containing the attack site, but Derek managed to get a good enough view of the map. By the time they reached the cabin, their good weather had begun to take a turn once again, casting dark clouds into the sky and threatening to dump more snow on the already snow-covered ground.

Their cabin was only a half a mile off the main road, and at least three miles from the site. It was a single-story cabin with a small covered porch. The snow covered the ground in front of the porch, including the first step. From the front, there was only a single window looking in, but it was enough.

Derek shut the truck and walked up the porch with the last of their things. He nudged the door open and stepped inside. To the left of the door, against the farthest wall, was a double sized mattress. Mercedes had already taken the liberty and laid out their sleeping bags. Across form the bed was a wood stove to heat up the cabin. To the right of the door was a single table with two chairs. The cabin was sparse but it was enough for them. Mercedes was seated at the table, where she worked on setting up the computer.

Derek sighed as he set the final bags beside the bed. Mercedes had said very little since leaving the station and rightly so. It wasn't often that a person learned their brother was murdered, but Mercedes had had two members murdered in two years. What's more, Derek wasn't even sure that it was her brother Ford. There was no way to truly recognize thief ace in its state, and solely relying on the tattoo wasn't a sure bet either. But he couldn't deny that the scent was familiar to him and the odds of anybody having the same tattoo in the same location as her brother were extremely low. He didn't want her to assume the worst, but he didn't want to give her false hope. But no matter which outcome they came to, it still raised more questions than answered.

"Computers set up." Mercedes called from the table. She picked up the camera that Derek had used at the station, and plugged the USB cable to it.

Derek hung his jacket on the hook by the door. He walked to her side and watched over her shoulder as she worked. He watched the download bar appear as the images transferred onto the computer. His eyes traveled down to Mercedes, who was watching the computer screen with far too much interest. He reached out and placed a hand to Mercedes shoulder.

Mercedes jumped at the sudden contact, turning toward Derek.

Derek pulled his hand back quickly. "sorry."

Mercedes shook her head. "It's okay."

"Look, I can handle this. If you want to make that call now." Derek offered.

Mercedes was quiet. Pondering. Did she want to make the call now? Hell no. There was nothing in the world she wanted less than to talk with her adoptive mother. She had had no contact with her since her separation from the caravan the previous summer. And given the events that lead to their subsequent removal, Mercedes didn't expect a gracious reply. But she needed to. Starlin could be the key in figuring out whether or not the mangled body back at the station is her brother or not. She prayed she was wrong, no matter how bad that was. She and Ford were hardly on the best of terms, certainly better than she was with Starlin, but that wasn't saying much. Still, they had been family, and Mercedes had been raised to care for the family she was given; including Ford.

"Cedes?" Derek called.

"I heard you." Mercedes whispered. She eyes her cell phone lying beside the computer. Back when she had taken over the caravan, she hadn't hesitated in making the necessary calls, no matter how painful they had been. She'd had other people's livelihood to ensure, she couldn't let her own feelings in the way. And when the Echidna had attacked, Mercedes hadn't hesitated to get her son out of harm's way, no matter the cost to her. But that drive seemed to have been lost in her now. She wanted to hurl her phone across the room and watch it shatter. She wanted to bury her head in her hands and pretend she was back home with Bentley and Derek. She wanted to believe she still had two brothers out in the world. She wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

Mercedes didn't know what possessed her, it certainly didn't feel like it was her own doing, but she reached out and took her phone into her hand. She pushed her chair away from the stable and stood up. Almost in a daze, Mercedes walked from the table toward the door of the cabin.

"Take my coat, it's warmer." Derek called. He sat down in front of the computer and checked the upload. He heard the door close and Mercedes footsteps out in the snow. He sighed heavily. He wanted to do something for her. Not only for the possible loss of her brother, but for the way he'd been acting. Every couple was entitled to secrets, and being supernatural gave a few entitlements than most. Mercedes had every right to withhold her birthday from him, especially given her history with them. He'd treated it like huge trust issue. Derek ran and hand through his hair and closed his eyes. He'd royally screwed things up this time. First decent relationship in a decade and he was the one to screw things up.

His phone suddenly rang inside his pocket. Derek quickly fished it out and found Scott's name on the screen. He quickly accepted the call and brought the phone up to his ear. "Scott, what's going on?"

 _"_ _Hey you're on speaker. We were expecting you guys an hour ago, what happened?"_ Scott asked. _"The news says to expect three more inches of snow tonight."_

 _"_ _Yeah and you guys aren't paying us to babysit Bentley either."_ Stiles called from the background.

Derek nodded to himself. "I know, it's already started up here. We ran into a problem."

 _"_ _What kind of problem?"_ Stiles asked.

 _"_ _Were you two able to see the body?"_ Scott asked.

"Yeah, we did. Way too easily, by the way." Derek replied. "Look, there's no easy way of saying this so I'll just say it. Mercedes thinks the victim's her older brother."

 _"_ _Lincoln?"_ Scott asked.

 _"_ _I thought he was in the Bahamas with the caravan?"_ Stiles replied.

"Not Lincoln. Ford."

 _"_ _Wait, the quillin?"_ Stiles asked. _"The one that threatened to kill Bentley last summer and had a hand in killing his dad and nearly killed Mercedes and you?"_

"Yeah, that one." Derek answered.

 _"_ _Derek, how's Mercedes handling it?"_ Scott asked.

Derek sighed again. "I wish I knew. She's pushing on, getting what needs to be done, done, but she's…she's keeping it locked up. The thing is, we just don't know for sure of anything yet, expect that it was a Bruin attack."

 _"_ _Not to sound untrusting and all, but are you sure being alone with her I the best choice tonight?"_ Stiles asked.

"I'm not in danger, Stiles." Derek snapped.

 _"_ _Not from Mercedes, which is what I'm trying to explain."_ Stiles replied. _"If Mercedes isn't fully with it, something could get the drop on you guys."_

 _"_ _He has a point Derek."_ Scott said. _"Are you guys safe for the night?"_

"Yeah, Scott, we're safe." Derek answered. "I'll send you the picture from the body. We'll check out the campsite tomorrow if the weather clears up, but we'll make it back tomorrow night at the latest."

 _"_ _Sounds good."_ Scott said. _"Watch yourselves."_

"Hey Scott, you mind putting Bentley on for me?" He asked.

 _"_ _Yeah, sure thing. Hang on."_ Scott moved from the phone. Derek listened to his retreating steps and call out into the next room. The familiar patter of feet followed shortly after and the exchange of the phone between hands.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

Derek smiled. "Hey Ben, it's Derek."

 _"_ _Where are you and mama?"_ Bentley asked.

"We had to go visit some rangers, but we didn't think we'd be gone all day." Derek explained. "You're gonna have a sleep over with Scott and Stiles tonight."

 _"_ _What?"_ Stiles called.

 _"_ _Are you and mama coming home tomorrow?"_ Bentley asked.

"Yeah, we'll be home tomorrow. Promise." Derek answered. "Make sure you drive Stiles crazy."

 _"_ _I heard that!"_

 _"_ _Kay."_

 _"_ _Dude!"_

"Goodnight Ben." Derek said. "Put Scott back on the phone."

 _"_ _Okay. Night daddy."_

Derek sighed hearing those words again. He was never going to used to them. Granted, if he didn't fix things between himself and Mercedes, he was never going to hear them again.

 _"_ _Did I just hear that right?"_

 _"_ _Shut up Stiles."_ Scott whispered as he took the phone back from Bentley. "I thought you guys didn't trust us to babysit him."

"I don't, but something's not right with this." Derek said. "If Mercedes brothers' involved, we need to be on our guard. Keep an eye on Bentley till we get back."

"You got. Watch you backs." Scott said.

"We will." Derek answered. He ended the call and turned his attention to the computer. He quickly typed several commands into the computer and sent the photos. He thanked the rangers for the slight lack in outdoors experience, giving them access to their stations Wi-Fi. He looked up from the computer to the door. His coat was still hanging up beside the door alongside Mercedes' coat, which meat she'd gone out without one. Derek gave a frustrated sigh and stood up from the table. "Damnit Cedes."

* * *

As Mercedes quietly closed the door behind her, she was instantly assaulted by the cold air outside the cabin. She wrapped her arms around her body as she hurried toward her truck. She had purposefully left the cabin without a coat. With a conversation with Starlin, Mercedes needed to keep herself distracted. Freezing herself wasn't the best option she had, but it was quickest. Now if she could pull it off without Derek finding out, she would be well off. Mercedes opened the drivers' door and quickly climbed in. What little heat the cab had did little to warm her body. She drew her legs up, making her smaller to conserve body heat. She lifted her cell phone and dialed the last number she wanted to dial.

The dial tone quickly echoed in her ear. Then another. Mercedes was surprised that she hadn't immediately been given the voicemail. But then, there was no telling what Starlin was doing- or rather who she was doing. Much to Mercedes surprise, the dial tone ceased as the call was accepted.

 _"_ _What the hell do you want?"_ came Starlin's immediate response.

"Am I interrupting something?" Mercedes quickly snapped back.

 _"_ _I could've let the phone ring."_ Starlin reminded.

"I'm surprised you didn't." Mercedes replied. "He must not be very talented to hold your attention for so long. Or were you too much for him."

 _"_ _I repeat, what do you want?"_

"Has Ford spoken to you recently?" Mercedes asked.

Starlin snorted. _"Why? Are you going to kill my remaining son? You killed his brother so easily."_

"Your idiot son had a chance to walk away alive, but chose to take it." Mercedes reminded. She kept her teeth from chattering, but the cold was a welcome distraction. "Have you heard from him?"

 _"_ _His whereabouts aren't your concern. Neither of us are part of the caravan, and neither am I thanks to you. I'm not helping you hunt him down."_ Starlin replied.

"Someone already has." Mercedes stated.

There was a momentary pause on the other line. _"Excuse me?"_

"Someone already hunted down Ford. His body was found, mutilated beyond recognition, sixty miles north of Beacon Hills." Mercedes explained. "Did you know where he was going?"

 _"_ _How do you know it was him?"_

"There was a tattoo on the ankle." Mercedes answered. "Our symbol for sword, in the exact same spot Jag and Ford placed them. And Derek recognized his scent."

On the other end, Starlin snorted. _"Derek? That mutt you bedded last summer? You put a leash on him or did he leash you?"_

Mercedes took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could already feel her anger rising from the conversation. She could feel the siren within her wanting to take control. Her teeth began shifting from the stress. The cold was seeping well into her skin. The cab was holding back the worst part of the cold, but it wasn't enough. Her hands were already shaking and her fingers were beginning to go numb holding her phone.

"It amazes me that Kurt married you." Mercedes replied, her words biting with bitterness and anger. "Tell me, did he marry you because he loved you or because he felt sorry for you? I wouldn't be surprised if it was the second, he did build this family on other people's mistakes."

 _"_ _You-!"_

Mercedes quickly ended the call before Starlin could finish her sentence. Her body shuddered in a mixture of anger and cold. It wasn't working as well as she'd hoped. She opened her eyes to find that her claws had grown without her noticing or feeling them. Mercedes hissed, angry with herself that she still allowed Starlin to drive her anger so much. Despite nearly a year of separation, she still couldn't be stronger than bitter words thrown in her face.

A sudden tap against the window broke Mercedes from her thoughts. She spun toward the window, prepared to drive her fin through the glass, when she saw Derek standing outside. Violet eyes met hazel by surprise. Mercedes quickly turned her head away, breaking contact before she could shift. That was one thing she couldn't handle right now. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She heard the door open beside her, opening the interior cab to the cold air outside. The heavily, familiar fabric of Derek's coat quickly engulfed her body. Derek's arms wrapped around her, pulling her against his chest.

"Breathe." Derek coaxed. "Just breathe, Cedes."

Mercedes pressed further into him, engulfing in his warmth. As the second passed, the biting cold that had sapped all the feeling from her, melted away. The tremors quickly subsided as she began regaining feeling in her fingers. Her teeth no longer chatter from the cold, and returned to normal. Derek did very little to coax her out of the cab and shut the door behind her. He lifted her into his arms and carried her back into the cabin. He walked across the small room and set her on the bed.

Mercedes opened her eyes to find Derek kneeling in front of her, watching her closely. She was stunned to see the concern on his face. She'd never seen it before. Yes, there were times when he was concerned for her safety, but this look he had now, it was like he was going to lose her. Lose her to the monster that she had fighting inside her. That was more terrifying than anything.

"I'm okay, Derek." She whispered.

Derek shook his head. "No, you're not. Not even a little."

"Talking to Starlin isn't exactly easy." Mercedes stated. She stood up form the bed and pulled the coat from her body. She walked around Derek to the hook on the wall.

Derek stood up and followed her. "That wasn't anger back there, Mercedes. That was something else. Something I've never seen you do before."

"We haven't even been together for six months, Derek, I'm not going to tell you everything about my life!" she snapped, storming away from him.

"I'm not asking you to-"

"Yes, you are!" She turned on him, her eyes flashing violet before she regained control. "You are, Derek."

"A phone call to your adoptive mother doesn't sent you into a blind rage, trying to kill the first thing that you come in contact with, Mercedes!" Derek replied.

"I just found my brother's body!" Mercedes screamed, her voice barely maintaining a pitch that humans could hear. "I haven't heard from him in six months and come to find his body sixty miles from where I live, mutilated by a Bruin, and I don't know why. I don't know if it was a mistake! I don't know if he was targeted! I don't even know why he was up here! So, I'm sorry if I have less control than usual."

Derek took a step back, physically giving Mercedes her space. He watched her as she paced around the room in a more chaotic state than before. He wasn't helping her, he was just making things worse. He wasn't going to bring up his sister, not now. "You're right. You're right. We may not know anything right now, but we will." He slowly walked up to Mercedes and carefully took hold of her arms. "We're going to figure this out, Cedes."

Mercedes inhaled deeply. "What if we don't? What if we never do?"

"You can't think like that." Derek replied. "It'll eat away at you until there is nothing left."

Mercedes nodded slowly.

Derek tucked his finger beneath her chin and gently lifted until their eyes met. The violet hue had vanished leaving the hazel gaze staring back at him. "I'm sorry, Cedes."

Mercedes eyes drifted from his own and lingered on his lips. With the state of her emotions, Derek had already figured she needed more than a distraction, so he was not surprise when she rose onto her toes and kissed him. The cold, soft touch of her lips easily drew him in like a spell. Her hands clutched two fistfuls of his shirt, holding him as close as she could.

* * *

I really hope i'm not making Mercedes out to be bipolar. but inn my defense, I will explain what's going on. as to Starlin, yeah last sighting we'll ever have of her. now...onward!


	6. Chapter 6

The sun rose far too soon for anyone's liking. From behind the heavy snow filled clouds, the sun managed to send light through them, breaking through the darkness with a dull, grey light. The light filtered through the windows of the cabin, brightening it, but not improving it. Outside the cabin, the world continued to slumber through the fresh layer of snow that had fallen during the night. The truck was covered with several inches of new powder.

Derek felt the light brighten before he opened his eyes. He'd been balancing between sleep and awake for some time. He laid on his stomach, facing away from most of the light coursing into the room, buried beneath the top sleeping bag. The tops of his shoulders were partially exposed to the cool air. He blindly reached across the bed, only to find the space cold and empty. Derek opened his eyes to and empty bed. He pushed himself up on his elbow and looked over his shoulder. He found Mercedes on the other side of the room at the table.

She'd turned the table into a work station, laying out her weapons and supplies along its surface. Two guns lay out with their bullets to each corresponding gun were lined up ow by row. Derek recognized the weapon from one of Argent's similar models. It was a hunting rifle. The model was black with a scope mounted on its body. The stock appeared to have been custom made, which made it more operator specific. The handgun was obviously smaller, and one Derek remembered taking bullets from on several occasions. Mercedes worked loading the handgun bullets into their magazines. The rifle bullets were gathered neatly in a pile, waiting for gathering. On the far end was a pile of black cloth strips. They lay in a tangled mess, and Mercedes seemed to pay it no mind as she worked

Derek watched her for a moment. She moved with ease in the repetition of her actions. It seemed almost therapeutic to her. As he watched her lay out the loaded magazines, Derek pondered how often she'd done so with intention to use them. He'd no knowledge that she had any firearms in her house. When he'd seen her carry the rifle from her closet, he'd been completely floored. The past few days had caused more questions to Mercedes than they had answered. He longed for the days where they'd been happy. But then again, they'd been ignorant to each other. Derek rubbed his face in frustration. When this was over, they were going to have a very long talk. He'd respect her tradition in grieving, but they needed to talk.

Silently, Derek climbed out of the bed and dressed. He checked the fire level in the stove and added a few more logs. He turned his attention to Mercedes and joined her at the table. There were dozens of bullets set in lines upon the table. Mercedes easily moved from one bullet to the next, slipped them into their designated magazines. She worked on the second magazine for her handgun. She was a far more stable state than she'd been the previous night. Mercedes seemed to sense him behind her. She paused her ministrations and looked at him over her shoulder. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Derek shook his head and stepped beside her. "You didn't." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and seated himself in the empty chair on her left. "I'm surprised I didn't wake up when you got up. Never lasted long when you did it at home."

There was a moment where the word seemed to cling to the air. Home seemed to be nothing more than a happy memory to both of them.

"Back home you didn't need to act as a distraction." Mercedes murmured, staring down at the table in front of her.

Derek reached out and took hold of her arm. Mercedes turned to look at him. For a moment, neither said anything, like they didn't need to. No explanation, no apology, nothing to say. Mercedes shifted under his gaze, growing uncomfortable. Derek moved his gaze to the bullets on the table. He released her arm and reached for the closest bullet. "I though you said Bruin hides were thick."

Mercedes hand shot out quickly, stopping Derek before he could touch it. "They are. Theses won't stop him usually, but these bullets are coated in my venom. They should slow it down if we run into it."

Derek drew his hand back. "Noted."

Mercedes gave a small smile. "Don't want Stiles to know you paralyzed yourself with a bullet, do we?"

Derek mock glared at her, causing Mercedes to laugh. She quickly finished loading the final magazine and set it on the table. "Did you find out how far the site is?"

Derek nodded. "Two miles from here is the lake, we follow it for another mile."

"Okay." Mercedes replied quietly. She grabbed the first magazine for her handgun and slammed it into place. She quickly chambered a round and set the safety. She laid the gun down into the table and retrieved a rifle magazine, easily slipping back into her previous routine.

"Mind if I ask a question?" Derek asked.

"Never stopped you before." Mercedes replied, glancing toward him.

"Why do you have a hunting rifle?" Derek asked.

"You ever have homemade jerky?" Mercedes replied with a slight smile. "One of the caravan's best sellers during the festivals. Retired hunters would perform and bring in big game for jerky."

"You hunt?" Derek asked.

Mercedes shook her head. "Clay pigeons actually, but I have some amazing recipes for jerky."

Derek smirked. She never ceased to amaze him. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She paused for a moment, unsure if she should continue. "I didn't start practicing with them until Marius."

Derek could sense her discomfort in the conversation. "You as good a shot as Argent?"

Mercedes snorted. "Considering they've trained for years, no. But I'm decent enough. Let's just hope you don't find out." She picked up the handgun and held it out toward Derek.

"I don't shoot." Derek said.

"You're going to need something more than just your claws on this one, Derek." Mercedes replied.

"I don't like guns." Derek replied.

"That's because you don't know how to use them."

"Or because I've been shot at. Repeatedly."

Mercedes nodded slightly. "Touché. Guess I'll carry both." She picked up the fabric straps from the table, which turned out to be a holster. She secured it to her thigh and slipped her gun into it. Mercedes picked up one of the magazines from the table and held it out toward Derek. "I'm not carrying everything."

* * *

The snow level had risen three inches during the night. Fresh snow littered the ground, deepening the white blanket that had covered the ground for nearly a week. Tree limbs leaned dangerously, loaded heavy with snow. Occasional clumps fell from the branches, lightening their load only a fraction. Other limbs had given way beneath the snows weight, snapping at their weak points, and falling to the ground to be buried beneath the snow. The air was chilled, filling their lungs with cold air with every breath.

As Derek had stated, they followed the trial leading toward the lake. The path was covered in snow up to the middle of Mercedes calf, causing her stride to be slowed. The cold had sent a chilled through her body, one that she tried very hard not to hinder her firing capability. Her rifle was held in her grasp, its strap around her shoulder, while her handgun was snug in its holster strapped to her thigh. Derek followed beside her, his pace matching hers to keep themselves together. If there was anything hostile still in the woods because a Bruin attack certainly counted as hostile, it was best to keep together for safety. The forest was filled with very little noise, most of which consisted of the sound of snow falling from high branches to the ground. On occasion, small packs were fall onto them, collecting on their coats or hats. But there was no sound of birds, or wildlife around, and that made Derek a little more than concerned.

"You're awfully quiet." Mercedes whispered from his side.

Derek sent her a side glance. "It's not just me."

Mercedes nodded slowly. "I noticed that too. It's like there's nothing here."

"Or it's hiding." Derek stated. He took a look around them. "We need to keep moving."

"How much further to the lake?" Mercedes asked.

"Should be just down the trail." Derek answered. He pushed down a branch and stepped through.

Mercedes followed him, only to be met with a clump of snow crashing onto her head from the higher branches. The snow slipped down through her scarf and down the back of her shirt. She stiffened from the cold with a gasp and moved from beneath the trees. Nearby, Derek chuckled as he released the limb. "That's not funny."

"Yeah it was." He turned from her, toward the thinning trees. From where they stood, they could see the blue lake surrounded by snow. The water was calm, laying placid surrounded by white, glittering the reflection across its surface. The sight was soothing to the eyes and mind, inviting even. "Wow."

Mercedes nodded slowly. "Yeah." Her entire life had been spent traveling the world a number of times. Which meant that the sights she'd seen had been innumerable. There was a city in France that had stuck out with Mercedes. It was a small town named Lyon near the Rhone mountains, quaint, quiet, and beautiful When the snow began to fall, the entire town seemed to glow. As she stared at the town, Mercedes had told herself that she wanted her home to feel just like she had felt while in Lyon's. Now, as she stared out at the lake, she felt that same feeling as she had in France.

The wind picked up, blowing over her exposed and wet neck. She stiffened and quickly fixed her coat. She looked around the area. Just in front of them, the snow level seemed to dip, hinting at a boat ramp leading into the lake. The earth appeared to be even from the left of the ramp onward, indicating there could be a beach near the boat ramp. To the right, the trail and snow rose above the earth. The eastern edge was surrounded by a wall of rock and ice. The top was barricaded with a steel railing to keep hikers from falling-or jumping-into the lake. The calm waves rolled along the shore. The stone shore seemed to be covered in ice where the waves continuously lapped over the surface.

Derek turned from the lake and began following the eastern rim. Mercedes followed beside him, keeping from the edge. Another wind picked up, blowing itself over Mercedes exposed skin. She shivered at the cold, cursing the cold weather. Her legs kicked through the snow, following alongside Derek. Her toes hit the start of the incline, sending her stumbling forward. Mercedes gasped in surprise as she tumbled into the snow.

Derek chuckled and extended his hand down toward her. "Here."

Mercedes slung her rifle over her shoulder and slid her gloved hand into his. With nearly no effort, Mercedes rose to her feet with Derek's help. They started up the hill, with Derek remaining in the lead, and Mercedes following in his steps. The melting snow soaked her jeans and the leggings beneath the fabric, even sinking into her socks within her snow shoes. Mercedes remained silent about the inconvenience as she trudged up the hill after Derek. Small puffs of fog escaped their lips with every breath they released, filling their lungs with the frigid air.

Beneath the snow, Mercedes' boot caught an exposed rock, sending her off balance once more. Mercedes gasped and stumbled into the snow again. Her body fell into the snow, covering herself completely. The cold flakes caught in her hair and burned her face. Mercedes pushed herself up from the ground. She gave her hair a quick shake, which did nothing to rid her locks of the melting snow.

"Here." Derek called from above. His hand was once again extended toward her.

Frustrated, Mercedes took Derek's hand again. Derek easily lifted her to her feet but didn't stop there. He turned abruptly and caught Mercedes behind the knees. Mercedes gasped as Derek lifted her on his back, holding her legs around his hips.

"What are you doing?" Mercedes asked, her voice laced with surprise.

"Carrying you." He answered. He adjusted her weight one final time before he continued to trek up the hill.

"I've noticed." Mercedes replied. "But why?"

Derek looked at her over his shoulder. "You looked like you needed some help."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Thank you."

"I can always drop you back in the snow." Derek offered.

Mercedes swatted the back of his head.

Derek shook his head, trying to get away from her hand. "Geez, how is it you're always cold?"

"I don't recall you complaining last night." She hissed in his ear.

Derek cast a look over his shoulder. "Believe it or not, I tend to get distracted quickly."

Mercedes remained silent but noted the tint in Derek's ear. It wasn't from the cold, either. They continued their trek up the hill, Derek easily taking Mercedes weight on his back, and climbing without an incident. Derek's boot kicked a path clear as he walked up the hill. Mercedes arms hung in front of his neck. Mercedes weight on his back did nothing to slow his pace down. He moved quickly and easily up the incline, following the metal railing. The rifle swung back and forth with each step Derek made.

They reached the top in a matter of minutes, far quicker than if Mercedes had walked it. But she was not about to admit that verbally. Derek eased her off his back and into the snow, her boot sinking down once more. The moment her feet sunk into the white, Mercedes froze. They were being watched. Deep within her, the siren was teetering on breaking free. She was agitated by something nearby. She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw nothing but snow-covered trees and the lake. The lack of visually locating the threat did nothing but further agitate the siren. She could feel the want of releasing her claws and fins, but she held them at bay. She inhaled deeply and clenched her hands tightly.

"Derek." She whispered.

"I know, I sense it too" He replied. It was then Mercedes noticed his rigged posture. He stood in front of her, positioned as if shielding her from whatever was near them. His head was tilt to listen to their surroundings. She wouldn't have been surprised if his eyes had shifted.

"Can you see it?"

"No." Derek replied. "It's keeping out of sight, but something's there."

"So, what should we do?"

Derek reached back and carefully took Mercedes by the arm. He pulled her to his side and started guiding her along. "Keep that gun ready."

Derek and Mercedes continued along the lake before diving back into the forest. Neither was more than a few inches from the other, Derek maintaining contact with Mercedes as they walked. Mercedes had brought her rifle in front of them. They moved together through the forest. Derek had let himself shift. There was no reason to hide when they were out of sight of anyone else. Derek kept his senses tuned to their surroundings. Mercedes focused on her next step and trying to maintain control over the siren. They'd seen nothing, but nothing would never be an excuse for her siren to be agitated. That damn creature had been the reason Mercedes threw herself underneath the truck when the Echidna had hunted her. As much as she hated to trust her other half, it hadn't led her wrong yet. And since Derek was on edge as well, there was no denying that something was hunting them down. It was smart enough to keep out of sight.

The cold air suddenly took on a second scent. Amidst the scent of pine trees and lake water, the bitter scent of copper and flowers caught his attention. Nordic Monkshood. Derek pulled his attention from their surroundings, turning it toward the scent's location. He gently pulled on Mercedes arm, catching her attention.

Mercedes stopped and looked back at him. "What?"

"Blood. It's faint, but it's coming from that way." Derek explained.

"Human?"

Derek shook his head. "Quillen."

Although it went against everything he learned, Derek turned his back on the unseen threat. With Mercedes arm in his grasp, he charged back into the forest. Derek stormed through the snow, deeper into the forest, dragging Mercedes alongside him. His strides were lager and quick, easily outstepping Mercedes. There was nothing more on his mind beyond the trail he was following, the trail that grew stronger with every step he took. His body brushed aside low hanging branches, brushing snow onto his oblivious body. The snow drifted into Mercedes, sinking beneath her scarf and the gloves, but she said nothing She had never seen Derek in such a state before. It was more than a little concerning.

The guiding scent grew nearly overpowering, causing Derek to stop short. Mercedes bumped into him, unable to stop as quickly as he had. He released her arm and took a single step forward.

"Derek?" Mercedes asked.

Derek turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Wait here."

Without waiting for a response, Derek moved on without Mercedes. Within seconds hos body had been enveloped by the tree branches and gone from sight. Mercedes remained in her place, watching for Derek to reemerge. Despite the speed with which Derek moved them into the forest, the siren was still on edge. Mercedes pressed the rifle against her shoulder, focusing her body on something else. The siren was carefully slipping into her, wearing her. She listened to the still silence around her, hoping to catch the sound of their tracker.

Movement came, but not from their tracker, but from Derek returning. He slowly made his way through the limbs. His shoulders were stooped lower than when he left. His face seemed to have lost the color he'd had.

"Did you find it?"

Derek nodded slowly. "Ten yards behind me."

Mercedes took a step forward, only to have Derek cut her off. "Move, Derek."

"You don't want to see this." Derek replied.

"It isn't the first time I've seen a dead family member." Mercedes stated.

"And finding his body nearly made you catatonic, Cedes." Derek stepped closer to her. "I know what it's like to find your family dead. To literally have their blood on my hands. Seeing their body is more than enough, but knowing how it happened, it does something to. Takes something from you. You've already had him taken away, do not put yourself through any more pain."

For a moment, there was nothing but stillness between them.

Mercedes swallowed slowly. "Please Derek."

Derek sighed in defeat. There was only so much he could do in trying to convince her, but it was ultimately her choice. He wasn't going to stop her, no matter how badly he wanted to. He took the rifle from Mercedes, which she freely relinquished. "Ten yards through the trees."

Derek remained where he stood as Mercedes passed him. He listened to the sound of her boots taking her deeper into the forest. He heard the movement of her body brushing against branches and shrubs, growing nearer to the campsite. He closed his eyes as she reached the tree line and pushed aside the final branch. The sound of her sharp intake of breath nearly matched the feeling of a serrated blade tearing through him.

It didn't take long for Mercedes to return, nor was it difficult for Derek to hear her. With the sound of her hurried and stumbling steps, Derek turned around just as Mercedes' body met his. He wrapped his arms around her trembling body, holding her steady. There was a salty scent to the air, no sound of gasping breath, nothing to suggest that she was crying. Merely traumatized by the site. He held her close, feeling the pressure of her forehead against his shoulder. He'd wanted to spare her the sight, but she was far too stubborn for her on good. A trait that they both shared, unfortunately.

As much as Derek wanted to take her form the site, the still had work to do. "Can you keep watch? I can handle everything else."

Mercedes lifted her head from his shoulder, inhaling deeply. She gave a brief nod before reclaiming her rifle. She turned her attention from the campsite to their surroundings. Derek didn't push her further. He nodded in return and released her from his hold. He redirected his attention back to the clearing ten yards from them, and began making his way. He could hear Mercedes steps trail behind him at a slower pace. Her steps came to a halt as Derek reached the clearing to the campsite. He glanced over his shoulder to see Mercedes facing away.

"I'll be quick." Derek called.

Mercedes nodded in response but did nothing more.

Derek sighed again and turned back to the branches. He braced himself and pushed through. The scent of blood immediately overtook the surrounding scent of the woods. The campsite was cordoned off with crime scene tape and protected with a tarp. It already carried the previous nights' worth of snowfall. He watched his steps, keeping them minimal as he reached the side where Mercedes had disrupted. Derek lowered into a crouching position and picked out a pair of gloves from his back pocket. He slipped them on and lifted the tarp from the scene.

In a flurry of snow and blood, the site unveiled before him. Derek inhaled slowly, taking the time to calm himself. Ford's body was one thing; the campsite was another. Possessions lay broken and strewn about within the snow. Blood lay in frozen puddles and patterns over everything within the type line. Derek removed the camera from his pack and started cataloguing the site. The ground was marked with evidence numbers, marking everything within eyesight. The tent was in a crumbled heap several yards from him. The rods were bent and broken. The canvas was ripped into ribbons, revealing an exposed interior to the harsh elements.

Derek slowly began making his way through the site, stepping only where the rangers had already stepped. There were numerous quills embedded within the ground, easily identified as Ford's. It was hard to forget the pan they could cause a person, no matter who took the hit. Derek as not a fan of Ford, nor Jag, but Ford's fate was not something he'd wished on anyone. Well, to an extent. At any rate, the quills told him that Ford had at least tried to fight back, despite the end results. Derek removed the quills from the sight and tossed the tags into the snow. With any luck, the rangers would chalk up the tags from the storms.

Moving toward the tent, Derek spotted the remains of Fords sleeping bag, torn and bloody. He carefully pushed around the canvas of the tent siding, peeking inside for anything of use. Fords tattered pack was inside the tent with the bag. Numerous tears had opened up its walls, exposing the contents to the outside world. Derek carefully removed the back form the tent and started taking out the belongings. The first thing was a small GSP. It had been crushed by the look of the indentation in the center of the device. Then came a map, torn in two, and soaked from the snow and blood. Derek carefully unfolded the map. It had an itinerary written in sharpie from the Midwest. Ford had apparently been staying in Oklahoma. His destination had been Beacon Hills. There was an old school Nokia brick phone that certain took Derek back to his first phone. Like the GPS, the phone had been damaged beyond repair. By the looks it its condition, someone had crushed it in their grasp.

Derek took a few more pictures. Why would Ford return to Beacon Hills? Did it have something to do with Mercedes and Bentley? Was it revenge? It wouldn't be farfetched for revenge. But why travel alone? Mercedes was the stronger of the two, Ford wouldn't stand a chance. Was revenge worth his life?

Derek carefully dumped the remainder of the pack's contents onto the ground. A manila envelope slid into the snow, along with another phone. Derek frowned and set down the bag. He examined the phone. It was relatively new and in good condition considering its location. It had been placed inside a bag, protecting it from the snow and blood. Derek opened the bag and turned on the phone. It immediately came to life. The screen loaded with a picture of an unfamiliar forest and a message explaining a new media message had been received.

Why smash the GPS but leave the phone intact?

"This isn't making sense." Derek muttered to himself. He pocketed the phone and turned his attention to the remainder of the belongings. He pushed the envelope aside to find several more belongings. A broken compass, matches, bloodied sweaters and socks, keys. Smart items to pack when camping. Derek returned them to the smaller items and clothes back into the pack. He took up the envelope and turned it over. The front had noting written on it. No address, return or destination, no postage, nothing to indicate where it had come from. It was unsealed, making it easy for Derek to remove the photos within it.

Ice struck Derek in the chest as he viewed the photos. He quickly moved to the next photo, and then the next with equal speed. How in the hell did Ford have these? How? Each one was from Beacon Hills, but more than that, each one was of Mercedes and Bentley. There was one with Mercedes at work, bent over an engine. Bentley at the preschool playing with a friend. Bentley and Mercedes in the backyard. Hell, there was even one with all three of them together barbequing. How had Ford gotten these? Hell, how did anyone take these pictures without any of them realizing it?

"Mercedes!" He called out. He continued searching through them, looking for anything that could give him a clue. The pictures were relatively recent, fall at the latest, but before the snow.

"Derek what's going on?" Mercedes called.

Derek stood up from the campsite and turned toward Mercedes. He intercepted her between her location and the camp, immediately pushing the photos into her hands. "We have a serious problem."

Mercedes looked down at the photos in her hand. She looked each one over, one by one. "What the hell is going on?"

Derek shook his head and surveyed the campsite again. "I don't know."

Mercedes turned one of the phots to check the back for anything. She thumbed through them and stopped when her eyes caught writing on the back of one. "Hey!"

Derek turned his attention back to the photos. Mercedes turned on toward him, showing him the writing on the back.

 _They're mine now_

Derek shook his head. What the hell was going on now? The more they learned, the more it looked like Ford was innocent. Derek took the photos from Mercedes and stashed them into his pack. "This isn't making sense. We need to call the others." He moved quickly, coving the crime scene back up and masking their evidence. Once the site was covered, Derek quickly followed Mercedes through the trees back into the forest.

"How did Ford get those photos without us noticing?" Mercedes asked.

"I don't think he had anything to do with it." Derek answered. "I think someone gave them to him."

Mercedes looked toward him. "You think someone lured Ford?"

"Maybe." He replied. "But we know for a fact that you and Bentley are the main targets. We need to tell the others to get inside and stay safe." He reached into his pocket for his phone. "Why destroy the map and GPS, but leave the phone intact."

"Wouldn't make a difference when the mobile doesn't have GPS on it." Mercedes replied in front of him.

Derek frowned. "Except the phone has GPS."

Mercedes looked back him as they kept walking. "Brick's mobiles don't have GPS, Derek."

"But iPhone's do."

"Ford doesn't use iPhone's. He hates smartphone."

Derek stopped in his tracks. He put his phone back into his pocket and nearly ripped off his pack. Mercedes stopped and watched him tear through his bag. He pulled out the phone he'd discovered at the campsite.

"That's not Ford's phone." Mercedes whispered.

"I think it was left by the-" Derek's sentence died off as his eyes drifted back toward the campsite.

Mercedes frowned and followed Derek's gaze. " _Oh, la naiba_." Her body stiffened as her eyes fell upon the large body of a Bruin.

The Bruin stood out amongst the snow in its deep brown coloring, matching the shade of a grizzly, but doubled in size. On its paws it stood taller than Derek by several inches. Each paw seemed to be the size of a hubcap on the truck. Its arms and legs were extremely muscular and thick with fur. Its muzzle protruded from its face, jaw opened to the cold air. Large clouds puffed from its jaws with each panting breath. It was bigger than the ones Mercedes had met with the caravan.

"Can you get a shot?" Derek whispered. From the sound of his voice, he had shifted.

"Maybe, but he'll move before I hit him." She answered. The rifle wasn't anywhere near the positions she needed it to be in in order to hit the Bruin. And no matter how fast she moved, the Bruin could easily charge them.

"You don't need to hit, just distract it." Derek replied. He turned his body, fully facing the Bruin, and placing himself between it and Mercedes. "Shoot and go for the truck."

"What the hell are you going to do?"

"Buy you time."

"The hell you are."

"Go!" Derek order. He dropped his pack and roared.

The Bruin roared in return, turning its head at an angle. It drowned out Derek's roar by half. Its front paw beat the earth, crushing the know beneath it. It raced through the snow, charging them. Derek sprinted to meet it. Mercedes snapped the rifle up against her shoulder. The scope quickly found the Bruin just as Derek reached it, compromising her shot. The Bruin rose to its back paws and took a swipe for Derek. Derek dropped into the snow, giving Mercedes a clear shot. She pulled the trigger, sending the bullet ripping through the frigged air. It shot across the clearing and struck the Bruin in the left shoulder. The bruin jerked from the impact, dropping onto all four paws. Its head turned to the bullet wound. It turned its attention to Mercedes, growling threateningly at her.

Mercedes fired again, hitting the Bruin in the hind quarters and angering it further. With another fierce roar, the Bruin charged for Mercedes. It moved with great speed, faster than a charging bear would. Snow flung behind it as it raced toward Mercedes. Mercedes fired round after round at the Bruin, retreating toward the lake. The Bruin flinched with each shot, but never ceased its charge. Mercedes counted down her bullets in the magazine to zero. She dropped the rifle, letting it swing around her arm by the strap, and reached for her pistol.

Derek suddenly collided with the charging Bruin, sending it away from Mercedes, and crashing to the ground. The Bruin thrashed around, trying to toss Derek off its back. Derek held on tightly, swinging wildly from the back of the Bruin. He tossed a look toward Mercedes. "Go!"

In an instant, Mercedes sprinted back through the forest. She dropped the rifle and pack in the snow, reducing the weight she carried, but also significantly reducing her protection against the Bruin. Not that her rifle had done much to slow its charge. She listened to the raging battle between Derek and the Bruin behind her, as she put as much distance between herself and them. Her feet were weighted down by the snow, slowing her pace already. She focused on the Siren within her, drawing on her power to keep going. She shoved branches from her path, ignoring the snow that flew at her in retaliation.

An echoing crash and the cracking of lumber caught Mercedes attention, slowing her down to look back. The forest was still with only the slight dance of tree limbs around her. But the air itself was far from silent. Vicious growls and snaps tore through the air. Mercedes paused for a few moments panting, before she kept running. She silently prayed that Derek was following after her.

She broke through the clearing, coming out near the lakes ridge. For a moment, Mercedes stopped in the snow to evaluate her options. To her left was the trail that led around the lake. Uphill had given Mercedes more trouble that she'd thought, but downhill she could practically slide down. However, she could easily hit something hidden beneath the snow and injure herself. Or, she could leap over the guardrail and into the lake below. In the water she could easily make it to the boat ramp before the Bruin reached the other side. It would give her a distinct advantage, until she was on land. The cold water and frigid air would then work against her body, forcing her to slow down even more than she already had. Or, she could wait out the Bruin to tire for her. Derek would make it back to the truck where they could regroup.

With an astonishing roar that sounded far too close for comfort, Mercedes sprinted for the guard rail. She quickly unzipped her jacket and ripped it from her body. Once she was out of the water, she would need to lighten the weight she carried even more. Soaking wet, her boots would be the heaviest thing on her. But she could deal with that once she was in the water.

The trees shook as the ground seemed to trembled with the charging Bruin still behind her. Mercedes didn't dare look back, but kept her eyes on the lake just in front of her. She leapt off the ground, bringing one foot onto the rail. Without a second thought or final look behind, Mercedes threw herself over the guard railing, crossed her arms across her chest, drew her legs tightly together, and plummeted toward the frigid water below her.

Her boots broke through the calm surface of the lake first, immediately taking on water. The pull and force of her impact quickly dragged her beneath the surface. The sky danced above her as she sank into the dark water. The tumult of the surface was silenced by the water around her, almost erasing the terror that was threatening to consume Mercedes and her family. Mercedes stared at the surface as she sunk deeper beneath its surface. The longer she remained under the water, the greater the chance of the Bruin moving on, but the greater risk toward Derek. If she emerged, the cold air would immediately start to affect her. Even if stripped her clothes, she was putting herself at risk even more. But she could sacrifice Derek, even if he told her to run.

Mercedes reached into her back pocket, pulling out her, now dead, cellphone. The entire point of their separation was for Mercedes to get to the truck and contact the others. Now she couldn't even do that. Even if she made it to the truck, she needed to find the spare, since her keys were in her pack…back on the ridge.

 _Just how stupid can you be, Mercedes?_ She thought to herself. She kicked off her shoes and let them sink to the bottom of the lake. Mercedes then unclipped her thigh holster, how it had managed to stay with her on impact was a mystery, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She held the holster between her teeth and proceeded to remove her packs and leggings. The less clothing, the faster she could move once she got out. She returned the holster to her tight and readjusted the strap. She then removed her sweater and tank top, leaving her in only her undergarments. With a swift undulation of her torso, Mercedes floated up to the surface.

Swiftly, Mercedes reached the surface. She cautiously broke through, only rising to her eyes. The frigid air immediately assaulted her face, making Mercedes thankful she had kept the rest of her body within the water. She found herself staring at the cliff face, opposite of the boat ramp. Her eyes quickly found the boat ramp and trail that led back to the campsite. She watched as Derek raced down the trail, followed by the Bruin. Her heartrate tripled and she flung herself back beneath the surface. With a quick undulation of her torso, she accelerated and shot off toward the boat ramp.

* * *

I LIVE! Okay so this past year has been one huge writers block. I finally freed myself. So I apologize if there are grammar and spelling errors. I have been working on this chapter for the past year. So please don't judge me too harshly. And I swear I will post the next chapter asap.

onto the content itself, yes it was probably not the best idea to split up ammunitions and split up on the run. I just really wanted to get this chapter done. I'll edit it later I swear.


	7. Chapter 7

Derek ran thought the forest and broke the tree line. The lake lay before him beyond the guard rail. The past few meters he'd followed Mercedes trail back out, finding her pack and rifle. The rifle was strung against his back and her pack was in his hand, but Mercedes was still unseen. He had heard a splash not long before emerging from the forest and her trail had stopped. He'd bet money that had been Mercedes. He ran the guard rail and peered over the edge. He could make out the ending of a large ripple dozens of meters below him. Chances were, she was heading for the boat ramp. Mercedes had the advantage and protection of the water. It was good move on her part, but risky as well. He needed to be at the ramp once she emerged, or at least keep the bruin's attention on him. Derek sprinted from the guard rail toward the down slope. He dropped to his knees and slid down the hill.

The decent was by far quicker than her accent. Derek reached the bottom and easily climbed to his feet once more. He turned to face the hillside and reached into the side pocket of his backpack. His fingers grasped the magazine Mercedes had forced him to carry on the trip. She had also explained the workings of her rifle, just in case anything had happened. Derek loaded the rifle and put a round in the chamber.

Cautiously, Derek began a slow retreat along the trail. This was the only clear shot he could get until the trail led back into the woods. If the bruin happened to show up after he passed the lake, Derek's shooting would be even more difficult. His heart was still racing, still hammering away inside his chest. His eyes remained focused on the ridge above him.

Suddenly the Bruin's roar broke the silence of the lake. Its bulky body lumbered into view on to ridge. Derek brought the gun up and looked through the scope. He didn't need to hit it, just keeps its attention on him. He squeezed the trigger, firing off a single round. The bullet missed the Bruin, but it got its attention.

"Come on!" Derek taunted.

The Bruin roared and began charging down the hill. Derek slung the rifle over his shoulder and sprinted back down the trail. Only two miles down the trail to the truck, or he could redirect the Bruin away from the truck, and give a clear path for Mercedes. He used their previous trail through the snow to quicken his pace. He managed to keep his footing when he stumbled upon an icy patch hidden beneath the snow. He didn't know how he'd missed it before, but he could think on that later. He turned down one of the trail bends, just as he felt the vibrations in the earth. The Bruin was growing closer.

Derek looked over his shoulder to see a paw, larger than his head, cutting through the air toward him. The claws caught him in the face, and with the force, threw him to the ground. His body struck the ground a few seconds after his head did, in a dangerous contortion of his body. The seconds that followed found Derek in a disorienting haze of pain. Derek struggled to push himself up to his knees.

He turned his head to see another paw coming down at him. Derek threw himself out of the path of the paw, rolling several feet from the Bruin. He threw off the packs and brought the rifle back up. He shot off another round, missing his mark again. The shot only seemed to aggravate the Bruin further and charged Derek.

The Bruin seemed to tire of playing. Instead of remaining in its four legs, the Bruin rose from the ground. For the first time in a very long time, Derek felt terror filling him. He'd never seen anything as large as the Bruin that stood in front of him. It was easily twelve feet high, maybe thirteen.

The bruin roared and slammed its massive paw down. Within the final moment before the paw could strike him, Derek lifted the rifle. Claw met with metal and sheered through the barrel. Derek dropped the two halves of Mercedes rifle. The bruin dropped to the ground and charge Derek, striking him in the chest. The force sent Derek flying backward, stopping only when he struck a tree. He collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily. He looked up to find the Bruin charging once more. He rolled out of the way as the Bruin swung his paw at him again. This time, the claws caught Derek around his shoulder, tossing him onto his back. Derek winced and pushed himself from the Bruin, kicking snow as he went.

The Bruin grabbed Derek's foot in its jaws, sinking its teeth deeply into Derek's ankle. With a strong heave, the Bruin dragged Derek through the snow and released him. Derek clenched his teeth in pain as he found himself staring up at the Bruin. Blood seeped from the multiple wounds over his body. The Bruin slammed its paw on top of Derek's chest, trampling him into the snow beneath him. The Bruin's strength pinned Derek against the frozen ground. Its paw pressed against Derek's chest with enough pressure to attempt to crush his ribs. Derek could feel the bones begin to snap beneath the pressure. The claws sunk deep into his chest, drawing blood through the incisions. Derek groaned in pain. He grabbed the Bruin's paw and sunk his own claws into its flesh. The Bruin growled, more in annoyance than in pain. It thrust its head toward Derek, it's jaws widely open, as if to rip his head off. Derek brought up his arms as the jaws came down. The Bruin's jaw clamped shut around his arms. Derek cried out in pain as the teeth sunk deeply into the muscles of his arms. The claws tore at his chest, shredding leather, cotton, and flesh. Derek cried out in agony as blood freely flowed from the fresh wound. The Bruin shook its head, dragging Derek's body across the snow and tearing at the muscle in his arms.

A high pitch shriek echoed through the air, mere seconds before a blurred figure slammed into the Bruin's head. The force jerked the Bruin's head, prying its jaws off Derek's arms. The Bruin staggered off of Derek's body, giving him the chance to put some distance between them. He looked at the Bruin to find the familiar tattooed back of Mercedes hanging from it. She was seated on the Bruin's shoulders, her calves wrapped across its chest, fins dig deep into its hide. Her left arm was wrapped around the Bruin's neck, fin against its throat, as the Bruin clawed at her body. The Bruin dropped to the ground and rolled its body, flinging Mercedes from its back.

Mercedes rolled onto her knees in the snow. Her violet streak standing out against the paleness of her skin within the snow. She hissed at the Bruin, sending an unsettling chill through Derek's body. He'd never heard anything like it before, it was more animalistic than anything he'd ever heard. More chilling than the Kanima and more frightening than the Echidna, but there was undoubtably a resemblance between them all. And Mercedes was the more terrifying of the three ancestors. Blood rolled down her forearms and calves dripped with the Bruin's blood, coloring the snow around her body.

The Bruin roared at her and charged. Mercedes ran at the Bruin and dropped to the ground. She slid through the snow and brought up her arms. The fins struck the underside of the Bruin, causing it to rise from its paws. Mercedes rolled onto her knees and turned to face the Bruin.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Derek spotted something dark within the blood tainted snow. It was a gun. The handgun that Mercedes carried on her. He didn't question how she kept hold of it or how she lost it, instead he dove for it. The Bruin's attention turned to Derek, only to have Mercedes intervene, slicing her fin through its left forearm. Mercedes quickly rolled out of the way as Derek picked up the gun. He turned and aim. He fired at the Bruin, hitting it in the hind leg. The bruin turned back to Derek, roaring in fury. Mercedes attacked quickly, leaping onto its back. The bruin swatted at her, only to have her leapt out of its reach. Derek took the moment to shoot again. Distract and shoot. Distract and shoot. Mercedes and Derek acted in sync with one another, protecting and defending from afar. Until the gun clicked empty.

"Damnit." Derek muttered.

The Bruin roared at Derek. Mercedes charged, but the Bruin easily swatted her out of its path. Mercedes crashed through a nearby tree, shattering the trunk, and bringing it crashing to the ground. Snow and limbs rained down as Mercedes hit the ground and rolled away. With Mercedes out of its way, the Bruin turned its gaze to Derek. Its fur was now streaked with blood, that dripped onto the snow. Its breath came in heavy pants, releasing small clouds from its muzzle. The Bruin roared at Derek, slamming its front paws on the ground. It quickly charged once more. Derek readied himself as the Bruin came at him. He took a single step back and kicking the broken rifle barrel. In a split second, Derek moved. The Bruin leapt into the air, pouncing on Derek with nearly three thousand pounds or weight.

From the ground, Mercedes heard the collision followed by a startled outcry. Mercedes pushed herself up out of the snow. The Bruin was several yards from her, but Derek was nowhere in sight. Panic climbed immediately, fueling her to stand. She rushed through the forest toward the Bruin's body.

"Derek!" she cried.

"I'm alright." Came his reply. Derek emerged from behind the Bruin's body, breathing heavily.

Mercedes immediately wrapped her arms around Derek, being mindful of the numerous claw marks that had shredded his jacket. She allowed her eyes to soak up the image of him. The claw marks on his face had healed, but the blood remained, leaving half of his face painted in it. His coat still hung over his body, but the numerous slices rendered it useless now. His shirt had soaked up the blood from his injuries, staining the material, and sticking to his skin.

Derek brought his hand behind her neck, taking a firm hold. His eyes roamed over her body, taking her in as she had just done. "Are you hurt?"

Mercedes shook her head. "No."

Derek pulled her against his chest, holding her tightly. The moment was short-lived when the Bruin stirred slightly. Derek immediately pulled Mercedes behind him and watched the Bruin closely. The large body struggled to rise from the ground, barely managing to roll onto its back. The rifle barely protruding from its chest. Its breathing was shallow and rapid. Slowly, its large body, began to shrink. They were shifting back.

"He's done." Derek said. He turned back to Mercedes, who was shaking against him. Damn! In all the commotion, he'd forgotten that she wasn't wearing anything. Derek quickly ripped his coat from his body and wrapped Mercedes in it. "You think you can make it to the packs?"

Mercedes nodded. "No problem." She immediately released Derek's arm and stumbled off toward their packs.

Derek turned his attention back to the shifting Bruin, but kept his ears trained on Mercedes progress. He marched through the battle field toward the Bruin. Already it had significantly become smaller, now matching the size of a Grizzly. In a matter of seconds, the fur and large muscular features of the Bruin were gone. In its place lay a man, no a kid, no older than Scott. His bare chest heaved and his breathing was short. The barrel had pierced through the right side of his chest, directly through his lung, by the look of it. The boy was having severe breathing trouble. His skin was covered in scratches, all in various stages of healing, and blood splattered various places.

Minding his distance, Derek knelt by the boy. "Who are you?"

The boy glared at Derek but said nothing.

"Did you kill Ford?" Derek aske.

Again, the boy was silent. He wasn't going to say anything, not unless Derek could convince him to. And seeing as how the boy just beat them to a pulp, Derek didn't have a problem in being a little persuasive.

"Let me try again." Derek grabbed the barrel and twisted it. The boy clenched his jaw, but groaned in pain. "Who are you?"

Impressively, the boy remained silent.

"Let me try."

Derek looked up to find Mercedes had returned. She was wearing another pair of jeans with a blue flannel shirt. Her body still shook from the cold, but it was a small improvement from before.

Mercedes knelt across from Derek and stared down at the boy.

"Do you know him?" Derek asked.

Mercedes shook her head. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment. She felt the Siren merging with her and opened her eyes. Violet met brown and Mercedes felt her body begin to change.

Derek watched in astonishment as Mercedes long hair grew short and black. Her became an olive tone and her body slimmed down significantly. She looked like she had an eating disorder; her bones were prominent throughout her frame. Mercedes reached down and gently stroked the boy's cheek.

"Why did you attack us?" Even her voice was different. Derek could help but hate the change that had taken over Mercedes. It was not wonder she hated shifting.

"You weren't supposed to be here." The boy replied. He wasn't American. His accent was heavy, European. Derek couldn't pinpoint where.

"What do you mean?"

"It was supposed to be the pack." The boy explained. "He said the pack was supposed to come up and find the body."

"Who?" Derek asked.

Mercedes held up her hand to silence Derek. "What was plan?"

"Keep the pack busy with the body while the others went after the family." He answered.

"Ask him about the family." Derek whispered.

Mercedes traced her fingers along the boy's jaw. "What was so important about the family?"

The boy coughed, spitting blood onto his chin, but he didn't notice. "He…he wanted…to get his son."

Ice flooded Mercedes veins, snapping her concentration, and dropping the shift. "Whose son?"

Without her illusion, the boy immediately realized what had happened, what he'd said. The willingness that he previously had was instantly removed from his face, replacing it was fury. "You bitch!"

Mercedes removed her hand from the boy's face and placed her hand over the boy's heart. She extended her nails, placing them strategically around his heart. "Did your alpha tell you anything about Siren venom? I'm assuming he did, otherwise you wouldn't have lasted as long as you did with those laced bullets. Your physical capabilities as a Bruin certainly make you the best offence against my venom, but once you shift bac, you're as susceptible as a human."

"So? You'll paralyze me." He snapped.

"Oh, I will, just not how you think I will." She slowly started drawing circles on the boy's chest. "The tiniest of pricks into your heart, and the venom will have a direct route throughout your entire body. It'll start at the heart, slowing it down very gradually. Then it'll go to your brain, and from there, every other body function will start to shut down. You'll feel every organ shut down, knowing that every second that passes is one second less you have to live. Every breath could be your last, which will kick in the adrenaline, which will spread the venom faster through your body."

The boy swallowed fearfully.

"And when your lungs finally stop, you'll still be alive. You'll feel every second as your body is unable to breathe on its own. And then, you'll be dead. I estimate an hour, maybe more, depending on you much venom I inject." Mercedes paused with her threat and let her words sink in. "You're alpha may kill you for speaking to us, but I guarantee you, what he will do is nothing in comparison to what I will put your through if you don't talk. Now, what is your name?"

"Henry." He answered.

Derek quietly released the breath he had been holding. "Where are you from?"

"Bor." Henry swallowed. "Serbia."

"What did your alpha tell you?" Mercedes asked.

"He said to watch the camp. The pack would investigate the site." Henry explained. "I was…supposed to keep them occupied while…my pack went after the family."

"Did you take those pictures?" Derek asked.

Henry shook his head and grimaced from the pain. "No. No that was someone else."

"Why take them?"

"He wanted to taunt Ford. To show Ford that he couldn't protect his sister."

"For was coming to warn me?" Mercedes asked.

Henry nodded again. "Yeah. Ford was told that we were coming after you. He wanted to taunt both of you, before he took his son back."

"Who?" Derek demanded. "Who ordered it?"

Henry looed over to Mercedes and jerked his chin up. "Her old Romanian boy-toy. Marius."

Mercedes felt the air suddenly forced from her chest. "That can't be."

Derek shook his head. "What?"

"Marius is dead!" Mercedes desperately exclaimed.

"He told us all about that." Henry gave a snort of a laugh, only to choke on it a moment later. "How he seduced you, used you, and screwed you."

"Watch it." Derek warned.

Henry chocked again. "Why? You're all as good as dead. Marius will kill all of you." His eyes turned to Mercedes. "You. He has something special for you."

Derek's eyes flashed electric blue. He roared sharply and raked his claws across Henry's neck. Blood sprayed across the snow and dripped from Derek's claws. Henry gasped breathlessly and choked on his blood. His chest spasmed as he tired to breathe through his shredded throat. Blood spilled from Henry's mouth and rolled down his cheek. Henry thrashed in the snow until he bled to death.

Derek grabbed Mercedes' arm. "We need to go, now!"

* * *

Derek nearly ripped the truck door from its frame as he opened it for Mercedes. Still shivering from exposure and adrenaline, Mercedes struggled into the cab. She drew her legs close to her chest, making herself as small as she could manage. Derek closed the door and sprinted around to the driver's door. He climbed inside and had the engine roaring before his door was closed. The truck sped down the road, heedless of the snow around them. They bounced within the cab of the car as Derek took the truck across the bumpy trails leading to the freeway.

"We need to warn the others." Derek said. "Where's your phone?"

"At the bottom pf the lake." Mercedes replied, gritting her teeth. She groaned and curled tighter.

"Shit." Derek muttered. He turned the heater on full blast and directed the vents toward Mercedes. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his phone. "Get Scott on the phone and tell them Marius is on his way."

Mercedes took the phone into her numb fingers, shocking Derek. With the frigid temperature of her body. She stared at the phone, internally struggling with the revelation they had been given. "Was he telling the truth?"

"What?"

"Is it possible to bring someone back to life?" She demanded.

"We don't have time for this!"

"Tell me!" The demanding tone and flashing eyes told Derek that there was no avoiding it.

"It's complicated, but yeah." He answered. He pulled the truck onto the highway and floored the gas.

Mercedes cursed in Romanian and forced her fingers to move through Derek's contacts. She pressed 'call' and put the phone on speaker. Several tense minutes followed as they waited through the dial tone.

"Hey, you guys heading back?" Scott asked.

"We're on our way now, but you've got company heading your way." Derek replied.

"Wait, what?" Stiles questioned.

"Get everyone inside the library." Mercedes ordered. "Bentley has the key on him. Stay inside until we call you."

"What's going on?" Scott asked.

"His dad's coming for him." Derek replied. "Get inside."

"Wait, you said he was dead." Stiles commented.

"So was Peter."

"Point taken."

"Get Bentley inside, we'll be there as soon as we can." Derek explained.

"Whatever you do, don't-"

The truck suddenly jerked to a stop. Derek lurched forward and flamed into the steering wheel, causing the airbag to deploy. The bag launched him back into his seat and pressed against his chest. Mercedes flew out of her seat and slammed her head into the windshield, shattering the glass on collision. The force was enough to bounce her back, sending her into the floor of the cab. In the chaos, the phone tumbled from Mercedes hand, and scattered through the cab.

"Cedes." Derek grunted. He brought his claws up to the bag and punctured it. His hand came to his chest and felt the broken bones begin to heal.

On the floor of the cab, Mercedes groaned in pain. The right side of her head, where she had struck the windshield, was throbbing in pain. A tickling warmth ran down her head and neck. She opened her eyes to find the cab dancing around her. Derek reached down and carefully brought her back into the seat.

"What the hell was that?" Derek asked, looking around them. There hadn't been anything in the road to get hung up on.

Mercedes looked out the back window. Her eyes instantly fell to a figure standing at the tail of the truck. Instantly, the siren inside of her lashed out. Her fins immediately protruded from her arm, nearly striking Derek with the suddenness. Derek jerked in shock and then followed Mercedes heated glare. The man at the back had a few inches on Derek, with sandy blonde hair. The shifted face smiled back at them, with bright red eyes.

Derek growled and shifted the truck into reverse. He floored the gas, causing the trucking the truck to drive backward. The tires spun on the ice, gaining a foot of distance before stopping. Derek snarled in frustration. The bastard holding them was strong.

Mercedes spun around to the dashboard and opened the glove box. She pulled out her backup handgun and turned toward the window. She slammed her elbow through the glass, sending the shards down the back of the cab and trunk of the car. She fired several shots, pegging the figure twice in the shoulder. The figure jerked to the left side, releasing the trucks tailgate. With the tires back on the ground, the truck easily regained its tractions, and ran over the figure. The truck rocked as the wheels rolled over the body.

Derek immediately slammed on the brakes. Mercedes pulled her arm back into the cab and turned to face the windshield. Through the cracked windshield, they could see the figure face down on the ground. They watched as he struggled to push himself to his feet. Mercedes released a chilling hiss, still enraged from the attack. Derek shifted again and slammed his foot on the gas. The tires skid on the ice before regaining their tractions, and sped toward the figure.

Seconds before impact, Derek watched the figure move. He rolled out of the oncoming tires path. The tires shuddered and the steering wheel jerked in Derek's hands. The truck began to swerve along the road. Derek tried to correct the truck, but failed. Beside him, the gun tumbled from Mercedes hand. She braced herself against the door, trying to keep herself upright. The truck turned around, sliding tailgate first down the highway. Derek looked up to see the figure charging them.

"Hang on!" Derek called.

The figure collided with the truck, sending the cab into the air. It struck the road and screeched across the road until it stopped into a bank.

* * *

oh my gosh that was a pain. getting closer to the fun stuff guys. thanks for hanging in there with me! I'm sorry if the tail end was a little slow. I'm still working through a writers block.


	8. Chapter 8

Frigid air and pain dragged Derek to consciousness. He winced as he slowly opened his eyes. He found himself on the roof of the cab, staring up at the floor. Glass was littered around his head and body. He pushed himself onto his elbows, wincing at the pain in his chest and head. He brought his hand up to his head and touched the dried remains of blood. The cut had already healed and the blood had dried to his head and hair. Derek took another look around and found himself alone.

Panic filled him instantly. "Mercedes!"

He bent down, peering out the open windshield, only to see no sign of her. Derek climbed out of the cab, crushing glass and snow beneath him. His body ached as he stood up. Derek turned to see all angles, hoping to see Mercedes familiar figure. His eyes found his jacket laying on the side of the road with his cell phone shattered on top.

"Mercedes!" he called out.

Nothing but the wind replied to his call. Snow fell from the sky, beginning to cover whatever tracks were around. But it wasn't enough to cover the scent of blood. It was fresh and it was nearby. Derek immediately followed the scent, trying to tame his racing mind. Henry had said that Mercedes wasn't meant to come out to the body. Could their attacker have taken her with him? Or would he have killed her outright? Derek shook his head and continued following the scent of blood. He walked through the snowbank and off the highway. His foot sunk into the piled snow, sinking down to his knees. Derek gritted his teeth as each step aggravated his sore, and still healing, muscles.

The stench grew louder as he walked further off the road and his heartrate increased in anxiousness in his search. He kicked through the snow, following the stronger scent. Despite the snow that covered the ground, the scent was strong, but there was no other evidence of blood. No drops or streaks that stained the white powder.

He took another step and sunk into the snow. Suddenly a hand latched onto his ankle. Derek's head snapped down to the ground. He stepped back before dropping to the ground. He reached down into the snow and brushed it away, revealing Mercedes battered body. He quickly unburied Mercedes, brushing the bloody snow out into the open.

Derek touched Mercedes cheek. "Mercedes, can you hear me?"

Mercedes groaned and her eyelids fluttered, but she remained unconscious. The initial collision with the windshield has cut up her forehead. The snow had managed to clean some of the blood from her head and seemed to be on its way healing. Derek quickly took survey over Mercedes injuries. The coat had managed to protect her torso from any cuts from the glass before it had been ripped from her body. Her fingers were not as lucky, baring numerous cuts on each finger. The real damage was on her hip and leg. The entire right leg of her pants was bleeding heavily. Derek carefully ripped open the fabric from the bottom. He quickly sucked in a startled breath. Mercedes' tibia had broken in the crash and breached the skin. Tearing the fabric more revealed a swollen knee. Reaching her thigh, though, Derek found nothing. No wound, but there was still blood on her thigh. Confused, Derek searched high, gently pushing up the hem of her shirt. Derek sucked in sharply as he found the wound.

A spiral had been carved deep into her hip. The cut was jagged, meant to cause as much pain and damage without killing her. It was a message, that was why she was still alive. The bastard wanted her to get his message. He was here for revenge. It was going to leave a permanent mark on her, just like the last time.

Carefully, Derek lifted Mercedes into his arms. Mercedes whimpered weekly, but remained unconscious. Derek couldn't help but be thankful for that. She was going to be in a hell of a lot of pain when she did, however. He syphoned a bit of pain, testing just what she was already feeling in her current state. Quickly, Derek started trekking back to the truck. Marius was on his way to Bentley, and they were still too far out to warn the pack.

* * *

Scott sighed heavily and stared down at his cell phone. He'd spent the last hour trying to call Mercedes and Derek, only to reach their voicemail every time. It didn't help that he'd heard what appeared to be a car accident, and without reaching them again, Scott was more than a little concerned for their safety.

"Anything?" Lydia asked. She was seated on a loveseat across from Bentley.

After the call had been cut off, Scott and stiles had wasted no time in getting Bentley and Lydia into the library. Bentley was asleep on one of the loveseats, with Lydia watching over him. Despite the high level of tension, Bentley had asked few questions. Scott assumed there must have been numerous nights when Mercedes and Bentley had stayed in the library. It could have been her sanctuary from her family. Whatever the reason, Bentley lay nestled on the loveseat beside Lydia, curled up inside his blanket. His face was buried beneath the blanket, while the blond tips of his hair peaked out.

Scott shook his head. "No."

Stiles shook his head. "So, what do we do? Wait for them to get back? Or wait for Marius to come after us?"

"We do what they said." Scott replied. "We stay inside."

"Scott, if Marius is coming chances are-"

"We're gonna have a fight." Scott finished. "I know."

The very thought of facing this pack reminded Scott of the Alpha pack. They'd known nothing about the pack, and nearly lost everything. By some miracle, they'd stopped them, granted the Darach had kept the alpha pack occupied as well. But Scott wasn't fond of the idea of facing another unknown pack, particularly when there were other species playing a role as well. Their numbers were unknown, and if Derek and Mercedes couldn't handle the bruin up in the park, they were in serious trouble. If it came to a fight, Scott wasn't sure he was going to be able to protect Bentley, Stiles, and Lydia.

The alluring comfort of unconsciousness ebbed away like a roll of the tide. With each passing wave, Mercedes found herself more away of her surroundings. Her first rational thought was that, she was moving. She could feel the cold air on her face, blowing back her hair. A weak attempt at opening her eyes gave her a glimpse of brown and white blurs. She closed her eyes, unaccustomed to the brightness of her surroundings. She tested her hands, finding them in someone's grasp. Red eyes flashed through her mind, spurring her into action. In an instant, she recalled every form of attack and defense she'd ever learn. She tensed her body in an attempt to force the person to stop.

In hindsight, it was not a good idea. The moment her muscles tensed; pain erupted throughout her entire right leg. Her entire mind was thrown into the excruciating pain surging through her body. Her vision warped to blackness, blinding her to every sense outside of the pain. She was ignorant to the motions of the world around the writhing body. The muscles in her jaw clenched, nearly to the point of shattering her teeth. Clenched fists spasmed in the snow, nail piercing the palms of her hands. The thundering of her heartbeat, hammered within her own ears, drowning out the other voice around her.

* * *

As the pain began is gradual decent, and the hammering of her own heart eased down, Mercedes could just begin to hear a murmur coming somewhere around her. She was still too far gone to fully comprehend what was happening around her, but she was aware of movement. She could feel the snow around her body, not just around her hands. She could feel a hand on her leg, keeping her steady.

"Breath Cedes." Came a deep, off tune voice. "Just breathe."

Mercedes took a shaky breath. Her lungs filled with the frigid air, shocking her body back. Her body began to shiver from the cold, giving her another focus for her mind than the pain. She opened her eyes to find herself staring up at the grey sky looming above her. A shadowed figure leaned over her head, blocking out the dark clouds. It took another few breaths for her vision finally focused and she found herself staring up at an anxious Derek.

Her eyes drifted to the blood on his head. "Are you okay?"

Derek gave a sigh of a laugh. "That's the first thing you say?"

Mercedes shrugged, giving him a small smile. "Priorities. Besides, you're the one who has a face covered in blood."

Derek snorted. "You're not much better sweetheart."

At his words, Mercedes took the opportunity to check her own well-being. Derek's hand was pressed against her right knee, veins protruding from syphoning her pain. Her jeans were soaked with blood and frozen to her leg. Her leg had been splinted and tied to a large branch. Derek's jacket was wrapped around her body, retaining what little body heat she had. "How bad is it?"

Derek sighed. "You've got a compound fracture on your leg. I've done what I can with a splint, but we have to get you out of here fast."

"Anything else I should know?"

"Marius left a calling card are your hip." He answered.

Mercedes turned her attention to her hip, where the blood had been localized. Her fingers carefully peeled back her shift, revealing the curved carvings of her flesh. The spiral was deep and smeared with her blood, but she could see its full, brutal etch. She winced as the gruesome abomination that was now a permanent mar on her body. Shye grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it against her side. The cold socked her system, causing her to gasp at the sensation, but she kept at it. She rubbed the snow over the wound. The blood washed away with the melted snow and the flesh inched its way closed, sealing the wound.

"Nice trick." Derek commented.

Mercedes sighed and leaned her head back. It was then she noticed that they were no longer on a road, but in the woods. "Where are we?"

"About five miles north the edge of Beacon Hills Proserv. I figure another ten minutes rest and we'll be at the house in an hour." He explained.

Mercedes shook her head slowly. "No."

Derek frowned at her words. "Do you need more time?"

She met his eyes. "I'm not going with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not going with you." She repeated. "You're going back on your own."

"The hell I am!" he snapped. "I'm not leaving you to freeze out here!"

"If you stay with me, the others are going to die." She replied sharply.

Derek shook his head. "This is crazy."

"It's the truth." Mercedes stated. "This to me, we're an hour outside of Beacon Hills, an hour and a half from my home. You've been carrying me on your back, weakening yourself syphoning my pain."

Derek's jaw stiffened instantly.

"Marius and his pack are moving for Bentley as we speak. We can agree on that, right?"

Derek nodded. "Right."

"Scott and Stiles are the only ones standing between Bentley surviving and dying. But after what we just encountered; they're not prepared for what is coming for them." She finished. "We don't know how many are in his pack. They need you."

"And I'm supposed to just leave you out here?" Derek demanded. "What if Marius is in the trees, waiting for me to leave you?"

"If he wanted to kill me, he would've done it when we flipped the truck." Mercedes stated. "We both know it. Marius wants me dead, but he wants me to suffer. What better way than to kill me after he's killed my son."

Derek shook his head. "There has to be a better way."

"They don't have that kind of time." Mercedes replied. "None of us do. You have to go, now!"

Derek said nothing. His mind was racing a mile a minute. She was right, damnit. They'd barely survived a run in with the damn Bruin, a single member of Marius' pack. The rest were moving for town. Scott was an impressive Alpha, Derek would gladly admit, but even Scott had his own limitations. The kid had no backup. The pack was divided across the world, with the closest aid being Derek himself. Even with the two of them, they were going to have their hands full. And what was worse, Derek wasn't at his full potential. Alleviating Mercedes pain had taken a toll on him. That is no way meant he enjoyed the idea of abandoning Mercedes in the forest. Leaving her alone in the forest was one thing, but she had a compound fracture and did not handle the cold well.

Without removing his had from her leg, Derek dragged the pack over beside her, having thrown it to the ground when Mercedes showed early signs of waking. He unclipped the sleeping bag from the pack and wrapped it around her shoulders. He dug out the chemical hand warmers and shoved them into the pockets of his coat. Finally, he pulled out the cell phone they'd found in Ford's possessions and placed it in her hands. She was surprised to see it hadn't been taken or destroyed by Marius. She turned it over in her hand, noting the cracked screen that decorated the phone.

"Found it in the car while I was scavenging supplies. Crammed under the seats when we flipped." Derek explained.

Mercedes nodded.

Derek looked up, finally finishing his task. "If anything happens, I mean anything; call the others and I will come for you."

"I'll be fine, Derek." She replied.

With great hesitation and apprehension, Derek released her leg and let his hand fall by his side. Without Derek to take away her pain, Mercedes was immediately assaulted by the excruciating pain she was suffering. Her entire body tensed up, causing her to take a sharp breath. Hers hands balled into tight fists, turning her knuckles white. But through the onslaught Mercedes said nothing, no cry, no whimper, to exclamation of the pain that was coursing through her body. She held her head up, meeting Derek's eyes directly.

"Go." She managed through clenched teeth.

Derek placed a quick kiss to her forehead and sprinted off through the wood. In a second, Mercedes was entirely alone. Her body was shrouded in pain and cold, with only the soft sound of crackling snow to keep her on her guard. Tears blurred her vision, brought on by the pain pulsating through her body. Mercedes inhaled through her nose, just as she had during labor. This was, by no means, the worse pain she had endured, but as it was the most she'd sustain since Bentley's birth, she was having difficulty maintaining her focus and resolve.

She looked down at the phone in her hand. Her fingers slid across the screen, bringing the phone to life. A few more swipes and she was at the main screen. Her brows furrowed at the lack of security on the phone. At the home screen, there was even more lack of identification. The background was standard, and there were nearly no apps on the phone. Mercedes scrolled through contacts, only to find that there were no names linked to the numbers. She moved on to the photos. Immediately she recognized the photos from Ford's pack. They were all of herself and her family. Whomever had owned the phone had been the one to take the photos. Mercedes quickly searched through the remainder of the phone, coming to a recent video.

The video came to life, focusing on Fords beaten face. He was kneeling in the snow, leaving a trail of blood around him. His breathing was heavy, leaving small clouds with each breath. Several men gathered around him. Mercedes recognized the unshifted Bruin standing right behind her half-brother. By the angle of the video, whomever had recorded it, was trying not to get caught.

 _"_ _It's pointless to try and run."_ Marius stepped into frame, kneeling in front of Ford. _"Did you really think you could warn her? You're not exactly her favorite brother."_

The men around chuckled.

 _"_ _You think I'll just stand by and let you attack them?"_ Ford replied.

 _"_ _You have no loyalty to them."_

 _"_ _No, but your kind disgust me more than her."_ He held Marius' gaze. _"You idiots have no idea what kind of a fight you're heading for."_

Marius scoffed. _"That's where you are wrong, again Ford. I'm starting to think your brother was blessed with brains. You see, your sisters still the same as ever. She still spreading her legs for any wolf that comes along."_

Ford snorted, shaking his head. His snort turned into a chuckle, before evolving further into a fit of hysterical laughter. _"And you call me an idiot. You narrow-minded, brain-dead morons. I never understood why she ever wanted to be with you. You were never that bright, even then, Marius, but now. It looks like you've regressed in whatever IQ you had before Mercedes killed you."_

Marius snarled and lunged forward. His claws raked across Ford's face, leaving trailed of torn flesh and blood spilling from his face. Ford's head snapped to the side from the force, sending a spray of blood across the snow. Mercedes jumped at the sudden brutality of the strike. Ford turned his face back to Marius, showing the deep claw marks that Mercedes had looked at yesterday.

 _"_ _Remember Ford, however painful or painless your life ends, is up to me, and how much respect you decide to show me."_ Marius commented.

 _"_ _Then kill me now, because there's no way in hell that I'm ever going to show you and your abomination of a pack and semblance of respect."_ Ford snapped.

Marius shrugged. _"As you wish."_

The bruin came forward and wrapped its claws around Fords face.

 _"_ _Any final words?"_ Marius asked.

Ford nodded. _"I finally understand the appeal of Hale. Mongrel's actually got some brains. Probably knows how to truly satisfy a woman. More than I can say about-"_

Fords words were cut short as the bruins ripped open the left side of his face. Ford's head snapped to the side again with a new spray of blood decorating the snow. The Bruin didn't hesitate to continue his assault. He shifted fully and sunk his teeth into Ford's shoulder, dragging the screaming Quillen into the forest.

The video froze, ceasing Ford's anguished final cries. But Mercedes didn't recognize that. Her eyes were boring down at the phone, but unseeing of the video itself. Her hand trembled around the phone. Her fingers tightened around the device, unconsciously increasing in strength. The phone curved under the pressure. The cracks in the screen grew larger, popping out sections into the snow surrounding Mercedes. Finally, the phone gave out entirely, crumpling in on itself under the pressure. The shards cut deep into Mercedes palm and fingers, but she remained oblivious to the injuries. She sat in the snow, trembling with rage she had not felt in years. Fire coursed through her body, evaporating the chill, and igniting her every nerve. The fire burned deep within her bones, diving deep within the marrow. Mercedes breathed heavily as the snow around her bled. The whiteness that once surrounded her had morphed into a sea of red. As the fire reached its boiling point within her, an inhuman scream of fury ripped from her lips into the sky.

* * *

phew...finally got it finished... so next chapter is the big show...Marius meets the others! What will Bentley think? Will Marius get his claws into his son? And what the heck is going on with Mercedes? Tune in next chapter for the answers!


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